The Secret History by Donna Tartt Book Review

     The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a YA psychological fiction novel. It was published in 1992 by Alfred A. Knopf. It has 4.17 stars on Goodreads. Here are my thoughts.

    The Secret History is about a young man named Richard Papen. When he arrives at Hampden College in Vermont, he has no friends or direction. Around campus he notices a group of students who never seem to interact with anyone else. He finds out that they are all enrolled in the classes of Professor Julian Morrow, an eccentric old man with an odd way about him. Richard is intrigued, and after a while he joins the class. What Richard doesn't know is that joining their world will forever alter his own. He is intoxicated by the closeness and peculiarity of the group, but as he is drawn in, he discovers that things are much darker than they seem.

    The plot of The Secret History is chilling. In the prologue, a murder is alluded to, but it doesn't take place in the book until much later. I was kept in suspense all the while I was reading. However, many scenes of the book are Richard and the group either studying, plotting, or lazing about. It is an interesting mix of mystery and slice-of-life.

    The main characters in The Secret History are Richard, Camilla, and Henry. The character development in this book is not necessarily positive. Richard learns things about himself and others that he never wanted to know. Camilla gains the means to take herself out of a bad situation, but loses a relationship in the process. Henry takes himself down a dark path, but he doesn't realize it until he reaches the end. These characters are achingly relatable because they are all, deep down, unsatisfied with their lot in life but unsure of the way to get out of it.

    The writing of The Secret History is immersing. Donna Tartt made me feel as if Richard's struggles and triumphs as if I was right there. The dialogue in the book was unusual because it was peppered with phrases in other languages, due to the fact that Richard and the group are all enrolled in various language courses.

    In conclusion, I would give The Secret History by Donna Tartt 5 stars. I loved the dark and scholarly atmosphere of this book. I would have liked for more description of Richard's classes. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read about academia, mystery, and/or psychology.