A review by ashykneesreads
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

wow this book. it explores dynamics between characters very well and the intricacies of their relationships, it revolves around a tight knit group of classics students who don't really talk to anyone else which heightened the intensity of everything as they only really had each other. the vibes were immaculate- tartt's writing is beautiful and so complex (i learnt so many words) and the dark academia vibes are amazing. the setting is really clear and permeates everything which means that as you're reading it you're swept away into this world, this coupled with the group really makes for good escapism. that said the characters were all unlikeable and unravel as the book progresses, you find more and more horrifying details which kind of snap you back into reality- you want to sympathise with them but you can't. one thing which i didn't know before i read it is that bunny is incredibly homophobic, misogynistic and anti-semitic so be warned of that (he is the character who dies though so don't worry)(this isn't a spoiler it's revealed in the beginning of the book)

so yeah i really loved it and if you're down for something rather sophisticated with cool vibes then would recommend.
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