A review by mesposito827
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Finishing this book feels like an exorcism. I was possessed by the characters, by the story, by the world of the book, by the prose itself and then I closed the book and was back in my body again. I never wanted to put this book down. The characters are all diabolical in their own ways, but are SO compelling. Richard’s narration so cleverly obscures the true nature of the plot that about halfway through the book I was fully convinced that their behavior was justified. And then I shook my head like a god damn etch a sketch and thought ‘what the fuck am I even thinking??’ It feels like irony that this book has become a kind of ‘dark academia’ ideal because the fact that the characters are rich academics at a liberal arts college in New England, who write in fountain pen and smoke cigarettes and write their diaries in Latin, is the exact thing that allows them to get away with everything they do.
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