Larissa Pham's Debut Novel 'Discipline' Examines Predatory Mentorship in the Art World

Larissa Pham's debut novel 'Discipline' explores the damaging dynamics of teacher-student relationships through protagonist Christina, a writer and former painter haunted by an affair with her professor, Richard. Published by Random House in 2026, the book uses autofiction to examine how predatory mentorship shapes artistic identity and personal trauma. Pham, an art critic and former painter herself, draws from her own experiences, including writing about sexual assault by powerful men, such as a faculty member at the Yale School of Art. The novel's sparse style shifts during Christina's confrontation with Richard, becoming more sensual and immediate. Christina's journey includes a multi-city book tour where conversations with exes, artists, and even paintings reveal her past. References to artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Edward Hopper, as well as comparisons to Marguerite Duras's 'The Lover', contextualize the narrative within broader artistic and literary traditions. The plot culminates in a clear-eyed view of how mentors influence students' relationships to themselves and their art, for better or worse.