Tessa McWatt’s novel Higher Ed chronicles the lives of five people living in east London, whose narratives are loosely intertwined. From the onset, the characters are a bit difficult to keep straight. McWatt provides a character index at the beginning of the book, similar to a play’s cast list. Although helpful, the need for the list calls attention to the text’s failing to appropriately introduce and contextualize each character. Overall, the novel was an easy, enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the references to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Gilles Deleuze.