silverperri 's review for:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

4.5

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 To me, “The Secret History” feels alien, impossible to fully comprehend, and yet profoundly grounded in something we all experience in some way— the desire for the beautiful, the picturesque, to float along a narrative we’ve dreamed up for ourselves. And its purpose is to show that living this way is not only a privilege but a danger, a way to forever trap ourselves in misery and selfish surreality as the characters do. Twisted, immersive, and effectively cautionary as any tragedy should be.