The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”

A perfect autumnal read, particularly for those of us who enjoy a dark academia theme. The Secret History wrestles with the philosophical intricacies of morality, intellectualism, and intimacy, delicately orchestrating a strong urge to dissect why the novel’s tragedy unfolds. This story truly engulfs you in a world of curiosity, beauty and decay through the eyes of Richard Papen, our self-proclaimed unreliable narrator.

Richard, a nineteen-year-old Californian from uninspiring origins, enrols in an elite Vermont college, subsequently kindling his fascination with an exclusive group of Classics students, each with intriguing, unorthodox tendencies. Richard’s obsessive temperament coincides with a potent desire to see things more beautifully and romantically than they perhaps are, thus making his credibility as a narrator consistently ambiguous. As someone in pursuit of an elegant life, Richard often finds himself longing for a reality that seems eternally out of reach. Nonetheless, his desire to obtain it compels him to entangle himself with the group, absorbing their enchantingly seductive behaviours, as well as the plagues of their companionship.

Personally, I tore through this quickly and without much thought of the pacing as being anything but necessary. Despite this, I struggled to feel an emotional connection with the characters, not only because they are largely unrelatable, but unlikeable, too. It entertained me, but failed to touch my soul. That being said, does every book have to? I feel content just being entertained every once in a while.

“These are powerful mysteries. The bellowing of bulls. Springs of honey bubbling from the ground. 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.”