The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Batuman, Elif. Either/Or. Penguin Books, 2022.

The novel begins in September of 1996. Selin is a sophomore at Harvard. She and her best friend, Svetlana, catch up after a summer spent apart. Selin decides to take a literature course about chance and reads Kierkegaard’s Either/Or for it. She also takes Advanced Russian, though she does not feel challenged by the tutorials she takes for it.

After calling her mother, Nurhat, Selin realizes how much she misses Ivan, her crush. Selin spent the summer in Hungary to impress him. She thought they had a romantic connection, until she found out he had a girlfriend the whole time.

Selin reunites with her Hungary group for dinner. Ivan’s friend, Peter, reassures Selin that Ivan really cares about her. Svetlana thinks Selin needs therapy because of her obsession with Ivan.

Selin befriends a student named Juho in her housing block. Selin gets a job at the Ukrainian Research Institute on campus. She attends a meeting for the Turkish students’ club and befriends the president, Şahin. Selin generally avoids parties and prefers hanging out at the library instead. She enjoys reading Nadja.

Selin is embarrassed that she has never been kissed. It comes up during her Russian class. She and Svetlana joke about becoming lesbian. Selin enjoys the chaos of her housing block, especially when her roommate Riley adopts a cat. One evening, Selin receives a call from Zita, Ivan’s ex. Zita tells Selin all about her history with Ivan which includes a love triangle with Ivan’s current girlfriend, Eunice. Selin feels more confused and hurt than ever after their conversation.

Selin returns home for Thanksgiving. Nurhat dearly misses Selin whenever she is gone. Nurhat suggests that Selin start therapy and medication to treat her depression.

Selin and her friend Lakshimi spend their January break in Martha’s Vineyard. When Selin comes back, Svetlana notices a positive change in her and says that Selin’s medication seems to be working. Selin takes a creative writing class with Lakshimi’s boyfriend, Joey. She attends a party of Lakshimi’s where she kisses Şahin’s friend, Przemysław. Selin goes back to Przemysław’s place. They stop short of having sex.

Selin starts frequenting parties and kissing boys. One day, she sends Przemysław a promiscuous message. They have sex at his home. She mentions losing her virginity to Ivan when she emails him. He is extremely judgmental about it, leaving Selin feeling hurt and confused.

Selin travels to Turkey for the summer break as a writer for Harvard’s paper, Let’s Go. She stays with her grandmother briefly in Ankara before travelling across the country. Selin starts an affair with a hostel employee named Mesut. She cries when they part ways. She encounters some creepy hostel employees during the rest of her trip, before leaving for Moscow. Selin feels like travelling to Russia is the first thing she has ever really done for herself.