The Secret History

A bunch of kids do something dumb, and then their lives slowly deteriorate until they do something worse, then they deteriorate even more. All told with a weird detached intensity by someone whose own identity is unformed, but who so longs for family and friends and elevated conversation and a benign father-figure that all other considerations disappear when he discovers what has happened. Becoming central to an ongoing catastrophe and the suspension of conventional morality is psychologically devastating, but it makes him a part of something, a grand and tragic drama after which the rest of his life will pale. Absolutely riveting, mostly because it is so well-written, and narrated in the audiobook by the author, whose voice achieves an show more eerie androgyny, while her southern accent keeps making me think of Huckleberry Finn. Struck a chord when it came out, I'm sure many have written about why, but the world of privileged ennui and the brat-pack nature of the friend group were alien to me when I read it first, and it still captivated. show less

Perpetual outsider Richard finds himself (rather implausibly, in my opinion) attending an elite New England college and accepted by a clique of classics majors. Not surprisingly, the members of this tight-knit group have dark and shameful secrets. After they try to recreate an ancient Greek ritual, they find themselves dealing with unforeseen consequences that lead up to the murder of one of their own.

This novel has remained amazingly popular since its publication over twenty years ago. It's not hard to see why. The plot sounds like the set up for a teen horror movie, yet the author's erudition gives the proceedings a highbrow sheen. The characterizations of the students, their families and their teacher verge on caricature. No one in show more real life is quite as repulsive as Bunny and his family, and yet they are entertaining in their repulsiveness.

Despite my reservations, I enjoyed the experience of reading this novel. It is a page-turner, surprisingly effective and absorbing. Tartt's insightful tracking of the moral and physical declines of the students in the wake of their depraved acts brings to mind Aristotle's definition of "tragedy" as found in his Poetics: "it arouses [both] pity and fear.” show less

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a masterpiece of academic mystery thrillers, offering a slow-paced yet gripping narrative that culminates in a remarkable climax. Unlike conventional thrillers, this novel challenges readers by presenting events without spoon-feeding the intentions of its complex characters. Tartt’s storytelling invites readers to delve deeply into the intricate layers of the plot and make sense of the nuanced happenings.

The first half of the book is meticulously dedicated to character exploration, which is crucial for understanding the story’s depth. Among them, Henry stands out as the most dynamic and enigmatic character. As the narrative unfolds, the shocking developments in the characters' arcs keep readers show more engaged and intrigued.

Tartt masterfully saves the final twist for the climax, delivering a revelation that provides an entirely new perspective on the story. This singular twist is impactful enough to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

The Secret History deserves all the praise it has received and more. Its blend of rich character development, a thought-provoking plot, and a breathtaking conclusion makes it a must-read for fans of literary fiction and thrillers. Without a doubt, this book earns a glowing 5-star rating. show less

It’s been more than ten years since my last reading and the atmosphere of the cloistered college student’s life enchanted me like it did the first time. Having never been to college at all, much less a notable one, tales like this featuring the inner workings of academia always fascinates me. The kinship these students have with each other and with their teacher is one of a few years, but it feels as if they have a much longer history. It’s a strange dichotomy considering how young all the students are. They are all classics students of varying ability and that in itself lends to the aura of mystery and seclusion that keeps them separate from the rest of the student body.

With the exception of Richard – he is basically an show more outsider and can mingle freely with both sides of the coin. He is accepted by neither though and continuously spends his time trying to find his proper place. The winter he spends nearly freezing to death in his unheated room was hard to read about. I think Henry’s rescue of him puts Richard in a light that he probably would never have been in. His solitary suffering and expulsion from normality makes Henry see him as something he isn’t; stoic and worthy.

The others in this clique continually keep him at arm’s length and his awe of them lets them stay there and fits neatly in Richard’s opinion of himself – that he doesn’t deserve their friendship. That his is nowhere near their equal. Even to that of Bunny, the most academically derelict of the 5 of them. And it is Bunny who must die. At first, Bunny is drawn somewhat sympathetically, but at the end, even the reader is anxious to see him done in, so grasping and manipulative has his behavior become.

Only Henry, Francis, Charles & Camilla killed the local man in the midst of their Bacchanalia. Bunny finds out and starts acting like an even bigger asshole than usual. Perpetually broke, he’s always had his hand out for funds and Henry has always been willing to fork over. Francis, too. But this has crossed the line and he’s becoming more and more unhinged.

But Henry is in more control than it appears and I think a large part of the action was orchestrated by him. I think he manipulated a lot what Richard thought were his own clear perceptions or insights, but really Henry was leading him down a path to a specific conclusion and collusion.

In the end, even their own beloved Julian cannot stand their presence and retreats with the knowledge of their two murders. I think it crushed him. Even though we never clearly see Julian, we have an idea that he idolized his students; considering them above mere mortals because they chose to study something so basically useless; truth, beauty, ethics and duty – all in a dead language. I think that he is crushed because while they did indeed study these things, they did not learn them. The concepts meant nothing to them except to fulfill their own selfish ends.

The final dénouement reads like a Greek tragedy and I’m sure that is deliberate. It is highly staged and dramatic. The sacrifice. The suicide. The survivors. Thankfully, Richard gives us release with an extensive epilogue that details what happened after.

The writing is rich and slightly sophomoric, which only adds to the atmosphere and overall flavor of the novel. It is right that the prose should be a bit purple. Those drunken days at Francis’s aunt’s estate were especially poignant – I was so jealous of them at that moment. To live and dream, drink and read, dance and share the illusion of real and everlasting friendship. Richard really thought he was forming bonds for his lifetime during that semester. He thought they could just go on and on. It was beautiful while it lasted. show less

Brilliant and engrossing story of an outsider willing to go far beyond what can be tolerated by received morality in order to be accepted by an elite group of young scholars at a small and quirky New England liberal arts college. A mystery told in reverse, it's not the revelation that drives the narrative, but the atmospheric characterization of the players and the setting. What has brought them to this point, how will they deal with the consequences of their actions, and to what ends do they find themselves driven?

This is a weird book for me to review. On the one hand: it's one of the most excellently written books I've ever read. On the other hand: dear God, please don't ever make me read it ever again. Please.

I've seen her referred to as somewhat Dickensian and considering my general set of emotions toward Charles Dickens' works, this makes perfect sense to me.

It's not a book that banks on the suspense of the "shocking" act as you are made aware of it in the first chapter. Instead, it's a densely packed, almost 600 page novel about How To Ruin Your and Everyone Around You's Lives. Don't get me wrong, it's deftly written, it's beautiful, it's complex.

But goddamn, is it not just a series of one thing more awful than the last. A cast of unlikable show more assholes, unlikable in each of their own unique ways, falling into the depths of depression, paranoia, addiction, and fear. It's claustrophobia in a book.

And then, in the end, no one gets what they want, no one is happy, no one is really living. Especially not the ones that managed to escape without losing their lives.

So.

Yay. show less

First, a note about the error in the prologue. "Four of us" is incorrect; there's five people in the scene, no one is missing. I mistakenly spent half the book anticipating which one wasn't going to show up.

The fictional Hampden College is like a miniature Oxford placed in a northern Vermont setting. The students in question form a sort of Loners Club, outsiders who don't fit any of the usual boxes. The narrator can relate and gets himself made a member, just in time to be involved in what unfolds: the murder of one of their own. This unusual clique of outsiders stands aloof from the party-goers, immersed in their studies, uncaring of finances or responsibilities but still personally responsible, all of them possessing interesting show more backgrounds and knowledge. It sounds like my idea of an ideal post-secondary educational study group, and so Robert finds it to be, until it isn't.

The origins of what goes wrong are easy to miss, barely dwelt on in the narrative, but they form the heart of the novel - the 'fatal flaw', the wish to go beyond all controls. The majority of them being spoiled rich kids who can do as they please and needn't even graduate if they so choose, control is something they all despise. But there is also some hint that the wish is tied to the nature of their studies in Greek. It may be like what Ted Chiang explored in his sci-fi story "Story of Your Life". Veering too deeply into another culture's language also brings forth its world view and its dreams. Henry is most deeply sunk, and the idea comes from him.

While page count is spent largely on illuminating the characters, the plot reminds me strongly of Crime and Punishment: the swiftly conducted crime that is over in a moment, dominated by the drawn out punishment that comes as much or more from within as without. We're subjected as readers to every moment of dreaded build-up and contemplation of what these students decide needs to happen, followed by every moment of waiting for the consequences to unspool. Short of skipping pages, we're no more able than they are to skim past every petty and unwanted detail and the angst each of those details creates. The story develops a tension that is lacking in most murder stories. Besides the question of whether they'll get away with it, there is also the question of whether they can survive the mental health crisis it plunges them into when they have only each other to lean on.

This could be read as a grand metaphor for how student rebellion is all for naught, whatever its form and however extreme, because reality will still impose itself after graduation: doing what you must to keep on surviving, taking whatever job presents itself, marrying whomever comes along, looking after your family obligations. What matters more to one's survival than finding means of escaping reality is learning how best to live in it. show less