serenityr05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Rape, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Death, Self harm, Alcoholism, and Blood
emwhitney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Before you start reading my (spoiler-free) review, please note that I am not personally a fan of holding a book down and extracting every last semblance of meaning from it until it means nothing at all (at least in this case).
I picked up this book with no background knowledge other than it involved a murder and that it inspired the Dark Academia trend. In fact, I only picked up this novel because I wanted to read The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, and I saw that The Maidens had been somewhat inspired by The Secret History. This was also my first Donna Tartt novel.
That all being said, my review:
I normally don't enjoy novels or stories with morally grey (or in this case, morally deplorable) characters. I like to be able to root for at least one character, and in The Secret History... there is no such character. Everyone is awful, all of the time, and commit truly heinous deeds (I'm looking in particular at pages 453 and 484 of my copy).
However, Donna Tartt is incredible at inserting scenes that are beautiful and reel you in as a reader, almost making you forget that these are the worst people. You find out on page one that the narrator, Richard Papen, and his friends have killed one of their own: their friend and fellow Classics study Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran. The first line of the novel really drew me in well: "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."
Despite you as the reader knowing this from the start, the in-between scenes and lead-up to the murder, especially the hazy and blissful days spent at Francis's country home, make you believe that these people love and cherish one another, and that their friendship and idleness is something to aspire to. I think that is one of Tartt's strengths and very probably what may have drawn people in to create the Dark Academia aesthetic and willingly associate themselves with a fictional group of "friends" who do and say and think things I genuinely find quite disgusting.
I really, really enjoy Donna Tartt's writing style. If you're a fan of descriptive writing (even at the cost of potentially slowing the plot down), you would probably enjoy the writing style of The Secret History, if not the plot. Action does not happen quickly in The Secret History, not even when Bunny is killed. However, there are some really beautiful lines of prose and wonderful descriptions throughout this book that make it easy to picture what Richard sees.
I see a lot of talk describing Richard as an unreliable narrator; instead of saying that, I would say that the events of the novel are colored through his perception of them. It's a truly limited omniscient narrator, but you as a reader can "read between the lines" to see some things that Richard misses along the way.
All of the characters feel fully fleshed out, like real people instead of plot devices. I would say that the notable exception to this for most of the book is Camilla, the only girl among the Classics students. This is not because of Tartt not fleshing her out - in fact, her fleshed-outedness is more apparent as those aforementioned "in between the lines" moments. The reason she feels less real than the other characters is Richard's tendency to view her as a hazy, angel-like object of affection rather than the complex woman that she is, and I think that was conveyed brilliantly by Tartt. Camilla is often described in ethereal terms, and Richard often describes seeing her as though she is partially concealed by light, like it's too hard to look at her straight. We as readers therefore do not get to see her for who she is until very late in the novel, when Richard, despite his thoughts pertaining to her, is also forced to reckon with the reality of Camilla.
The ending of the novel (spoiler free!) I felt was appropriate. I truly could not have guessed where the characters may go or what kind of lives they would lead. I liked that it felt like Richard was updating us as if he was telling this all as a story in conversation rather than a way to tie up loose ends. Tartt doesn't seem to have an interest in tying loose ends, but she executes it in a way that left me feeling satisfied.
Overall, I give The Secret History 4/5 stars. The writing was excellent, but the first few chapters were excruciatingly long, and at times it felt like a slog with no breakpoints. The story kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next, but there were moments that made me feel a little sick (feel free to message me for a list of content warnings). I'm glad I read it, but I would be selective with who I recommended it to. These characters are definitely NOT to be idolized, and they are deeply flawed and Tartt seems to have meant them to be read as deeply flawed (almost like characters in a Greek tragedy). If you can recognize that and appreciate the novel for what it is, I think you would enjoy it.
Review done, here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"I watched it all happen quite calmly--without fear, withoutpity, without anything but a kind of stunned curiosity--so that the impression of the event is burned indelibly upon my optic nerves, but oddly absent from my heart." (276)
"How quickly he fell; how soon it was over." (277) - I want to say I like this line because it's a really striking example, in context, of hot topic, cold delivery that really left a mark on me in the moment of reading it.
"...in order to make our veneration of him seem more explicable; to make it seem something more, in short, than my own fatal tendency to try to make interesting people good." (512)
"Some things are too terrible to grasp at once. Other things--naked, sputtering, indelible in their horror--are too terrible to really ever grasp at all. It is only later, in solitude, in memory, that the realization dawns: when the ashes are cold; when the mourners have departed; when one looks around and finds oneself - quite to one's surprise - in an entirely different world." (278)
"What we took for a docile, ordinary weight (gentle plunk, swift rush to the bottom, dark waters closing over it without a trace) was in fact a depth charge, one that exploded quite without warning beneath the glassy surface, and the repercussions of which may not be entirely over, even now." (275)
I picked up this book with no background knowledge other than it involved a murder and that it inspired the Dark Academia trend. In fact, I only picked up this novel because I wanted to read The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, and I saw that The Maidens had been somewhat inspired by The Secret History. This was also my first Donna Tartt novel.
That all being said, my review:
I normally don't enjoy novels or stories with morally grey (or in this case, morally deplorable) characters. I like to be able to root for at least one character, and in The Secret History... there is no such character. Everyone is awful, all of the time, and commit truly heinous deeds (I'm looking in particular at pages 453 and 484 of my copy).
However, Donna Tartt is incredible at inserting scenes that are beautiful and reel you in as a reader, almost making you forget that these are the worst people. You find out on page one that the narrator, Richard Papen, and his friends have killed one of their own: their friend and fellow Classics study Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran. The first line of the novel really drew me in well: "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."
Despite you as the reader knowing this from the start, the in-between scenes and lead-up to the murder, especially the hazy and blissful days spent at Francis's country home, make you believe that these people love and cherish one another, and that their friendship and idleness is something to aspire to. I think that is one of Tartt's strengths and very probably what may have drawn people in to create the Dark Academia aesthetic and willingly associate themselves with a fictional group of "friends" who do and say and think things I genuinely find quite disgusting.
I really, really enjoy Donna Tartt's writing style. If you're a fan of descriptive writing (even at the cost of potentially slowing the plot down), you would probably enjoy the writing style of The Secret History, if not the plot. Action does not happen quickly in The Secret History, not even when Bunny is killed. However, there are some really beautiful lines of prose and wonderful descriptions throughout this book that make it easy to picture what Richard sees.
I see a lot of talk describing Richard as an unreliable narrator; instead of saying that, I would say that the events of the novel are colored through his perception of them. It's a truly limited omniscient narrator, but you as a reader can "read between the lines" to see some things that Richard misses along the way.
All of the characters feel fully fleshed out, like real people instead of plot devices. I would say that the notable exception to this for most of the book is Camilla, the only girl among the Classics students. This is not because of Tartt not fleshing her out - in fact, her fleshed-outedness is more apparent as those aforementioned "in between the lines" moments. The reason she feels less real than the other characters is Richard's tendency to view her as a hazy, angel-like object of affection rather than the complex woman that she is, and I think that was conveyed brilliantly by Tartt. Camilla is often described in ethereal terms, and Richard often describes seeing her as though she is partially concealed by light, like it's too hard to look at her straight. We as readers therefore do not get to see her for who she is until very late in the novel, when Richard, despite his thoughts pertaining to her, is also forced to reckon with the reality of Camilla.
The ending of the novel (spoiler free!) I felt was appropriate. I truly could not have guessed where the characters may go or what kind of lives they would lead. I liked that it felt like Richard was updating us as if he was telling this all as a story in conversation rather than a way to tie up loose ends. Tartt doesn't seem to have an interest in tying loose ends, but she executes it in a way that left me feeling satisfied.
Overall, I give The Secret History 4/5 stars. The writing was excellent, but the first few chapters were excruciatingly long, and at times it felt like a slog with no breakpoints. The story kept me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next, but there were moments that made me feel a little sick (feel free to message me for a list of content warnings). I'm glad I read it, but I would be selective with who I recommended it to. These characters are definitely NOT to be idolized, and they are deeply flawed and Tartt seems to have meant them to be read as deeply flawed (almost like characters in a Greek tragedy). If you can recognize that and appreciate the novel for what it is, I think you would enjoy it.
Review done, here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"I watched it all happen quite calmly--without fear, withoutpity, without anything but a kind of stunned curiosity--so that the impression of the event is burned indelibly upon my optic nerves, but oddly absent from my heart." (276)
"How quickly he fell; how soon it was over." (277) - I want to say I like this line because it's a really striking example, in context, of hot topic, cold delivery that really left a mark on me in the moment of reading it.
"...in order to make our veneration of him seem more explicable; to make it seem something more, in short, than my own fatal tendency to try to make interesting people good." (512)
"Some things are too terrible to grasp at once. Other things--naked, sputtering, indelible in their horror--are too terrible to really ever grasp at all. It is only later, in solitude, in memory, that the realization dawns: when the ashes are cold; when the mourners have departed; when one looks around and finds oneself - quite to one's surprise - in an entirely different world." (278)
"What we took for a docile, ordinary weight (gentle plunk, swift rush to the bottom, dark waters closing over it without a trace) was in fact a depth charge, one that exploded quite without warning beneath the glassy surface, and the repercussions of which may not be entirely over, even now." (275)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Incest, Violence, Misogyny, Drug use, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
james1star's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Secret History is undoubtedly a very well written and theorised book, Tartt gifts us, in my opinion, the perfect balance of plot and character analysis alongside some truly exquisite passages. Without including many spoilers, all I can say for the plot is we follow the student Richard Papen as he tells the story of his time at Hampden College in Vermont. Not wanting to neglect the Greek he had previously studied, he joins the cohort headed by the odd teacher that is Julian, becoming close to him and his fellow classmates: Henry, Francis, Edmund (Bunny) and the twins Charles and Camilla. This group who I called ‘the Greeks’ in my notes lead fairly strange lives from fellow students at the college but one that certainly intrigues Richard. And then things happen…
This is for sure a Big Brain Energy book: there’s untranslated Ancient Greek, Latin and French in it, multi-syntaxes sentences containing ‘()’s ‘-‘s and lists within, parts inferred and much more. So whilst it’s not the most accessible and definitely makes you think, it’s still an enjoyable reading experience. Some parts went over my head but I did feel a bit intelligent I guess reading it. This may put some people off and I get that but personally I could follow well enough and enjoyed the engagement of my brain at times. The way Tartt pulls it all together with a multilayered plot and very nuanced characters shows her BBE off, she clearly knows her stuff and I guess wanted to show this off - however, the story and flow isn’t negatively impacted in doing so. I absolutely loved how parts were pieced together and everything just clicks in place, so so good!
The characters are primarily unlikable but you get to know them so well and in such depth that at times you do root for them, in essence wanting the baddies to get away with it. But they are jarringgggggggg. Like wow did they annoy me and it does get quite repetitive at points too. I think Bunny was the character I liked least and Francis most but there is nuance for days in this book. The developments, analysis and interactions between the characters is all done very well and intelligently so.
The things I didn’t particularly like all that much was how about the page 400 mark I felt it was at a great ending point but then it kept on going… and going… and going. I still enjoyed these parts in terms of writing style but the actual events weren’t to my taste in all honestly with certain plot points, a major plot twist I didn’t see coming, didn’t really add up all that well. Therefore, the messages the book portrays weren’t the best specifically in terms of suicide and reasons why people are led to it - a bit too much was left to the imagination. I also felt in this final third that I had spent too long with these characters (I’m not accustomed to long books btw) and their annoying qualities shone out a bit too much. I’d say an enhanced epilogue might have been a better solution or thinning out this part of the book I’d have preferred.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book but look into the trigger warnings first as there are quite a few and know it’s written in a BBE pretentious way that might not appeal to everyone. I’m glad I read it and would be one I’d be interested in revisiting in a few years to see if I could get more out it. I’ve also just written this after finishing the book so I might add to this review in the coming days or possibly make a video for my YouTube channel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Classism, Drug use, Murder, and Drug abuse
Minor: Toxic friendship, Cursing, Sexism, Suicide, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Blood, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
ritugp01's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This novel was lauded as a modern classic from Pulitzer-winning author Donna Tart. I wholeheartedly agree. The disdain that filled me for all the characters in various classics like The Great Gatsby, Giovanni's Room, etc, also permeated throughout the experience of reading The Secret History. I consider this further evidence that it is an exquisite piece of literature.
The novel has been described as "a murder mystery in reverse." While this is a perfect description, the book is also a deep look in how easily murder occurs, even in seemingly normal people, as long as one opens themselves to the possibility.
The novel has been described as "a murder mystery in reverse." While this is a perfect description, the book is also a deep look in how easily murder occurs, even in seemingly normal people, as long as one opens themselves to the possibility.
Spoiler
In a tl;dr character analysis: Henry was utterly unhinged and I think I loved him regardless. Richard, the narrator was mediocre but served his purpose as a voyeur to multiple murders. Charles and Camilla? WTF. But also, they both sucked and I cannot decide who was worse. Francis is the only valid character but he's on this ice too. Julian is just Henry but older and willing to fake social skills. Lowkey, Bunny sucked but damn I feel bad he was killed. Like, he was just freaking out that his friends committed MURDER, it's totally understandable he was on the edge of a psychotic break. This book was a lot, and Judy Poovey is the only good person in the whole story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Misogyny, Addiction, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Classism, Gaslighting, Excrement, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Antisemitism, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
em_gauts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Addiction, Classism, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Grief, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal death, and Drug use
Moderate: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Outing
Minor: Sexual assault, Stalking, and Rape
itsocchiolism's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i wanted to like this book so much, especially after all the hype around it but it just wasn’t for me. i didn’t like the characters at all and couldn’t sympathize with them. they all need therapy, and deserved to go to jail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Incest, Addiction, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, Eating disorder, Drug use, Classism, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Self harm, Mental illness, Alcohol, Medical content, Drug abuse, Death, Suicide, Murder, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Minor: Rape
andreadelo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Antisemitism, Vomit, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Violence, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Outing, Medical trauma, Injury/injury detail, Incest, Grief, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation
dabaucherry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Altered my brain chemistry. I was hooked. The amount of things I felt in the last chapter are unexplainable. I absolutely love how the secret history does not romanticize the concept of dark academia but actually shows the truth. the characters, oh the characters, absolutely marvellous. at times, the book got me questioning the narrator himself. "was everything he narrating the truth? for all we know he could be telling us bits and pieces" but despite all of that, I would honestly recomment this book to anyone who's looking into venturing in the dark academia genre.
all the greek mythology references were like a cherry on top for me.
all the greek mythology references were like a cherry on top for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, Gore, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death and Blood
mirivii's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I seldom engage in 300+ pages books, as I tend to be stuck with them even if I am not enjoying it – just for the sake of finishing the story. So deciding to start The Secret History was a leap of hope.
I don't know what Donna Tartt laced these pages with ... probably cocaine? I could not put this book down. Had me reading at night, which has not happened since I was a teenager 🥴
The plot was beautifully built and her way of writing it's so captivating. Her views on how to build suspense are refreshing, and the fact that this is a 1992 novel speaks for itself.
Much like the main character Richard, the first half of the book is set up on adoring this clique of literary and elitist students. You want to (want to) be them, with them, as erudite as them. As their flaws come to light they are viewed as whimsical and exciting, just to add to the mystic aura that they project.
What I really liked: the disenchantment of Richard in the second part of the book – the way the spell was broken and just like an addict that stopped being elated by their presence, he sees the mess all around and within them. The god-adjacent portrait of the chosen humans; the analogies to classical myths; how Bunny flew too close to the sun and his fall.
What I wish we saw more of: The twins' psychology – they were both lambs until one of them turned wolf almost inexplicably. What really happened during the bacchanal and what is up with Julian.
For what concerns the bacchanal, I could even live without knowing what went down. As Richard says in the book, when he reads biographies of serial killers, they tend to fixate on the most mundane things instead of the villainous acts and desires. It could be kind of the same here – I admit that the whole bacchanal ordeal was far more fascinating to me than the murder.
Something that I cannot get over is Julian Morrow, described as this wise whisperer that fascinates the smarts and eludes the mundanes. And yet we see that he is merely a human too. How could Henry be so violently attached to such a haughty person? He could have surely seen beyond Julian's most superficial attitude and his pride. Is Julian supposed to be seen as the Christians' almighty God? Above everything, interested in nothing, incapable (or unwilling) of aid.
Anyway, glad that I stumbled upon the BBC's Donna Tartt interview as hearing her speak was what made be grab the book from my to-be-read shelf.
I don't know what Donna Tartt laced these pages with ... probably cocaine? I could not put this book down. Had me reading at night, which has not happened since I was a teenager 🥴
The plot was beautifully built and her way of writing it's so captivating. Her views on how to build suspense are refreshing, and the fact that this is a 1992 novel speaks for itself.
Much like the main character Richard, the first half of the book is set up on adoring this clique of literary and elitist students. You want to (want to) be them, with them, as erudite as them. As their flaws come to light they are viewed as whimsical and exciting, just to add to the mystic aura that they project.
What I really liked: the disenchantment of Richard in the second part of the book – the way the spell was broken and just like an addict that stopped being elated by their presence, he sees the mess all around and within them. The god-adjacent portrait of the chosen humans; the analogies to classical myths; how Bunny flew too close to the sun and his fall.
What I wish we saw more of: The twins' psychology – they were both lambs until one of them turned wolf almost inexplicably. What really happened during the bacchanal and what is up with Julian.
For what concerns the bacchanal, I could even live without knowing what went down. As Richard says in the book, when he reads biographies of serial killers, they tend to fixate on the most mundane things instead of the villainous acts and desires. It could be kind of the same here – I admit that the whole bacchanal ordeal was far more fascinating to me than the murder.
Something that I cannot get over is Julian Morrow, described as this wise whisperer that fascinates the smarts and eludes the mundanes. And yet we see that he is merely a human too. How could Henry be so violently attached to such a haughty person? He could have surely seen beyond Julian's most superficial attitude and his pride. Is Julian supposed to be seen as the Christians' almighty God? Above everything, interested in nothing, incapable (or unwilling) of aid.
Anyway, glad that I stumbled upon the BBC's Donna Tartt interview as hearing her speak was what made be grab the book from my to-be-read shelf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Death, Gaslighting, Incest, Suicide, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Another high 3.75
SPOILERS (probably)
Well isnt richard just the most dumb fuck around, boy is literally just sticking his noise in everything and giving his opinion when he clearly doesnt not know half of what is happening and even when he does his conclusion is still fucking stupid, like ‘god camilla idk care if ur brothers abusive get out >:(‘ also his whole love for camilla was weird and i hated it, she was clearly literally never interested in you and u were like #marryme? , i agree with francis, idk how u graduated.
Im not even gonna try and question whatever julian and henry had going on, also fun fact about me is i actually didnt need a wrap up at the end of every single character we met lol
SPOILERS (probably)
Well isnt richard just the most dumb fuck around, boy is literally just sticking his noise in everything and giving his opinion when he clearly doesnt not know half of what is happening and even when he does his conclusion is still fucking stupid, like ‘god camilla idk care if ur brothers abusive get out >:(‘ also his whole love for camilla was weird and i hated it, she was clearly literally never interested in you and u were like #marryme? , i agree with francis, idk how u graduated.
Im not even gonna try and question whatever julian and henry had going on, also fun fact about me is i actually didnt need a wrap up at the end of every single character we met lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Car accident, Alcoholism, Gore, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Incest, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, and Grief