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A review by slimy
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. ok. so ...
This is probably the most pretentiously academic work of fiction I've ever read but in the best way possible. The author uses that pretention and builds deeper characters with it. Without all the highbrow academia, we wouldn't see these characters in the same light- they would lose a lot of their redeeming qualities. And my god- what a world! Hampden campus, where this book takes place,... I mean I feel as if I myself am an alumni! Theres such care in how the place shapes the characters. Even the minor characters are ALIVE and active in their environment. Truly fantastic.
The pace is slow. Very slow. And usually that kills me, but this main character was so smart and witty, and had such a keen eye for the other characters I didn't mind being in his head for a long period of time.
For trigger warnings, the only thing I didn't expect after reading the book's description was brief mention of rape. There's a scene towards the end where our main character, Richard, confronts a female character (whom he's expressed romantic feelings for) about something she's done in secret that he disagrees with. There's a moment when his frustration builds, and he has the internal thought of: 'I want to shake her, slap some sense into her, throw her down on the bed and rape her' but he does none of these things. It definitely caught me off guard, and (I felt) was out of character, but I see how it was supposed to be used as an internal, intrusive thought in this situation. Other than that, I'd say pretty major triggers for murder, blood, gore, toxic families, drug and alcohol abuse, and minor sexual content.
A basic overview: </spoiler A group of friends decide to kill someone in their friend group, and subsequently spiral into shame, guilt, self-destruction, and madness.
This is probably the most pretentiously academic work of fiction I've ever read but in the best way possible. The author uses that pretention and builds deeper characters with it. Without all the highbrow academia, we wouldn't see these characters in the same light- they would lose a lot of their redeeming qualities. And my god- what a world! Hampden campus, where this book takes place,... I mean I feel as if I myself am an alumni! Theres such care in how the place shapes the characters. Even the minor characters are ALIVE and active in their environment. Truly fantastic.
The pace is slow. Very slow. And usually that kills me, but this main character was so smart and witty, and had such a keen eye for the other characters I didn't mind being in his head for a long period of time.
For trigger warnings, the only thing I didn't expect after reading the book's description was brief mention of rape. There's a scene towards the end where our main character, Richard, confronts a female character (whom he's expressed romantic feelings for) about something she's done in secret that he disagrees with. There's a moment when his frustration builds, and he has the internal thought of: 'I want to shake her, slap some sense into her, throw her down on the bed and rape her' but he does none of these things. It definitely caught me off guard, and (I felt) was out of character, but I see how it was supposed to be used as an internal, intrusive thought in this situation. Other than that, I'd say pretty major triggers for murder, blood, gore, toxic families, drug and alcohol abuse, and minor sexual content.
A basic overview: </spoiler A group of friends decide to kill someone in their friend group, and subsequently spiral into shame, guilt, self-destruction, and madness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Rape