The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Genre: Literary Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.
MY OPINION: ***
Anyone who knows me knows that I've been meaning to read this since high school. I bought it a REALLY long time ago but never could force myself to get through it. It's a very lengthy book and the font is SO small. Finally, I decided enough was enough and downloaded the audiobook version.
Well, it's finally done. I finished this monolith of dark academia.
Honestly, I don't really know why this went viral on TikTok. I feel like this is so completely not the vibes of Booktok at all and after actually reading it for myself, I fear that people only like the aesthetic of this book and not the content itself. I love a good classic but even this was too tedious for me at times. If I were reading this on paperback, I absolutely would not have gotten through it. It feels like you have to keep pushing and pushing for some excitement which comes in short spurts and then tapers off again into another colossus of text.
The book follows five students at some liberal arts school studying the classics and Latin/Greek. They're all very elitist and seem like they should be living in England during the Gothic era. However, this book surprisingly is set in the US, which I did not expect. They become so infatuated with their studies and the mythological, fantastic celebrations and torrid seduction of the ancients, to the point where their own souls devolve into some cruel form of evil.
The book is about sin and lust and depravity but it was just so monotonous at times that I couldn't get lost in the magic and blurred line of this sadism. Each of the five characters are incredibly different from each other but it just felt like in the end, none of them had any real personality. I couldn't get on board with any of them and some of the crazy things that happen between two of them rubbed me the wrong way on a different level.
All of them were just... not good or likeable people? I understand that that is the point and we aren't supposed to be relating to these characters but I feel like there should be at least something redeeming about each of them to make you feel some internal conflict about their actions. Instead, I just saw them all as villains. They're so perverse and sinful that you are unable to stomach reading about what they do. I know that I'm supposed to hate them but it's just not an appealing read to watch five pretentious, God-awful people commit crimes and ruin their lives because of some obsessive compulsion to pretend that one is in line with the ancients.
The writing was very beautiful, I will admit. Tartt has a flair for witty and wondrous prose. There were many lines that were certainly very well-formulated but I just felt like at times that things were said so quaintly that it was almost as if she were trying too hard to be witty.
I overall did not have the same falling-in-love reaction that most people have when they read this book. I would NOT say it was awful by any means but it was overall just kind of mediocre to me. I had expected to be transported into a universe where I was torn between the guilty feelings of rooting for a very awful character but instead, I just hated them all. All of them were literally the same, no matter how many placeholder traits she wanted to smack on them. I also HATED the professor. He was so weird and unsettling to read about and the blurb painted him as this adorable little man that you can't help but love for his nerdy tendencies. He was literally so aggravating.
I can't say anything about what actually happens because it's supposed to be a mystery for new readers but the crux of the story is NEVER really talked about after it happens. We don't get any feelings or remonstrances about it and instead it's like we just move on. What kind of sick little children are these?
I love the classics and I took four years of Latin. I know the myths and the ceremonies and the traditions. However, it just felt like this was so saturated with ancient Greek or Latin allegories to the point where it was kitschy.
The main character himself was annoying and acted like he was inferior to everyone while secretly feeling superior and it was just very off putting and annoying.
I would recommend to readers who like dark academia or wnat to get more into the genre but overall, I don't feel like it's something I would immediately jump to if someone wants a literature recommendation.
Main Character: Richard
Sidekick(s): Friends(?), etc
Villain(s): Depravity, sin, lust, etc
Literary Fiction Elements: This book is the epitome of dark academia literary fiction.
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