There’s this great scene in The Cloisters where a character, Rachel, steals biscotti from a cafe. Rachel is wealthy. She doesn’t need the biscotti. And this moment starts to clue us in that Rachel can’t be trusted. So I had to make an almond chocolate biscotti to go along with the cappuccinos that Anne and Rachel order.
Our cappuccinos arrived, each with rough cubes of sugar. When the waiter had gone, Rachel pulled a short brown biscotto out of her pocket. It was the type they had for sale at the cash register, the type I hadn’t seen her pay for when we ordered.
The Cloisters by Katy Hays
“Here.” She broke it in half and offered me some.
“Did you steal that?”
She shrugged. “You don’t want it? They’re really good.”
…I took a bite and left the rest sitting on my saucer. She was right, it was delicious.
The Cloisters is a dark academia, psychological thriller with so many twists and turns you never know which of the characters you can trust. Plus, it features an unreliable narrator and I love a good unreliable narrator.
Life isn’t going well for Ann Stillwell. She wasn’t accepted to any graduate programs. All she wants is to escape her small town in Washington. She manages to gain an internship at the Met in NYC but on day one is told–change in plans, they no longer need her. Then swoops in The Cloisters’ curator who wants Ann to assist with his project on divination and tarot cards in the Renaissance. This project could be Ann’s chance to break into academia, but first she must navigate The Cloisters’ sinister secrets.
For my scene, I included a red candle for the creepy late night card readings, tarot cards, some hot chocolate “cappuccinos,” and chocolate almond biscotti. I added almonds to my biscotti and dipped them in melted chocolate.
Are you a fan of dark academia? Do you have any favorites?
Novel Bakery 
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