A review by emmonsannae
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

WHEW that was a book! It gets off to a slow start, but D.T.’s worldbuilding is so exquisite that you don’t mind it too much. It’s impossible to put down once the action picks up and dominoes start falling. It absolutely owes a lot of its moral conflict to Crime and Punishment—they are both page turners for the same reasons, though The Secret History’s take on that moral conflict is fresh and horrifying. Unlike Crime and Punishment, it leaves ultimate moral judgment to the reader. I appreciated D.T.’s portrayal of the equal parts beauty and horror that we find in the classics, and the dangers of viewing antiquity as the secret burial site of some long-lost goodness which we must strive to recover. 
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