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A review by misskitty14
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I expected to give this a 5 but it fell a little short; maybe expectations were too high. Considering this novel kickstarted Dark Academia back in 2020, I thought I would get way more of that aesthetic/mood from this book. I was surprised by how little description there was of the setting, and even the weather throughout much of the novel felt unseasonable (autumn seems to pass us by).
In many ways, the novel is a slow burn since we know from the opening pages what the climax is but there's a quickness to how the story unfolds. I enjoyed the long exploration of the characters' fall from grace and the unraveling of a friendship group we thought was stronger and more close-knit .
Unsurprisingly, our narrator, Richard, was the least interesting. He exists solely to grant us access to this world and its characters. In fact, I feel like the ending, which petered out, reflects this. If the novel had ended a handful of pages earlier, its conclusion would have felt more powerful. Instead, our narrator (author) feels the need to go further and wrap up the arcs for characters we didn't care about.
In many ways, the novel is a slow burn since we know from the opening pages what the climax is but there's a quickness to how the story unfolds. I enjoyed the long exploration of the characters' fall from grace and
Unsurprisingly, our narrator, Richard, was the least interesting. He exists solely to grant us access to this world and its characters. In fact, I feel like the ending, which petered out, reflects this. If the novel had ended a handful of pages earlier, its conclusion would have felt more powerful. Instead, our narrator (author) feels the need to go further and wrap up the arcs for characters we didn't care about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Suicide, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Classism