'If we are strong enough in our souls we can rip away the veil and look that naked, terrible beauty right in the face; let God consume us, devour us, unstring our bones. Then spit us out reborn.'
I have said this before, and I will happily say it again: My favourite book of all time is ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt. To tell you the truth I have endeavoured to write a review for this book several times, but I love this novel so much that all of my previous attempts have ended up being long-winded rants filled with niche detailed theories and ramblings that I don't believe would make much sense to anybody but me... so I will do my best to contain my thoughts in this short and sweet summary.
This is a psychological thriller about a small, exclusive group of college students who study classics at Hampden College in New England and get involved in a murder, (or two) that change their lives forever. The writing style of Donna Tartt is one that I can only describe as elegant and masterful, with a vast vocabulary and dialogue so captivating I felt like a fly on the wall, every word has a purpose in this delightfully twisted tale. The descriptions in the book are also expertly written, as a reader I felt chilled to the bone when Tartt was describing the winter faced by the protagonist Richard Papen.
I want to begin this review by saying that I don't believe there is a single character in this book who is not dreadfully flawed, each of them are messed up in their own ways, but I can’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything. However, I will say that in my opinion, it is the collectively the flaws of the main six that lead to their downfall.
Secondly, I want to emphasize my love for the writing style of Donna Tartt, I am so happy Tartt decided to write the story from the perspective of Richard Papen, because his unreliable narration had me questioning everything. From the descriptions of and conversations held between the characters, to the influence of Richard's romanticism of the disturbed.
The dark academia aesthetic runs prevalent throughout the book, with motifs of clothing (which represents social class) and alcohol (representing the illusion of control despite the lack of it) and themes of murder, desire, and fate. The setting of the novel is at a boarding school. This theme of freedom reflects the youth and inexperience of the characters of the book, especially Richard who has never been away from his not-so-loving parents in California.
'The Secret History' is a captivating story that has stayed with me long after my first read. I would check the trigger warnings on the book if you feel that you are somebody who is likely to struggle with some of the themes, but overall this book is without one single doubt, a 10/10.
If you have read this book and want recommendations, I would suggest to you 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde. This is a book that deals with some of the same themes, such as the the importance of aesthetics and all things picturesque, and the destruction that can occur due to the influence of things that seem beautiful.
I have also been recommended the book 'If We Were Villains' by M.L. Rio.
I will leave the Goodreads description of this book at the end of this post, as i have not yet had the pleasure of reading it!
Have you read this book? Do you have any recommendations for me? Please do let me know!
To conclude, the sinister story of 'The Secret History' is a thought provoking literary great and if you are anything like me, you will be engrossed in Tartt's world until the very end and beyond. If you take anything away from this review: Read. This. Book.
If We Were Villains- Goodreads description:
'As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.'
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