Book Review: The Secret History

(Bought for full price at Barnes and Noble because I needed something to read on a big trip; another of the 100 books the BBC says I should read before I die.) You know a book is successful if you feel compelled to keep reading to find out what happens. Even if you are tired and it's 1 o'clock in the morning, you need to got to the end of a chapter. You need to know how the story turns out. Donna Tartt's The Secret History had that effect on me. I absolutely hated all the characters, but Tartt forced to me to keep going. She masterfully structured the suspense so that even though the book climaxed about half through its nearly 600 pages, I continued reading.

The story revolves around a small group of elitist students at a Vermont liberal-arts college. Under the influence of their beloved classics instructor, they commit several immoral acts and eventually spiral out of control. The narrator is Richard, a young man searching for meaning in his life. He thinks he finds it with his new friends and studies of ancient Greek, but he loses his moral compass. The story reminded me of Lord of the Flies in its examination of ethical relativism. Tartt's attention to detail and characterization are flawless. I did not like any of the characters. Richard is weak. The instructor Julian is a coward, selfish and clueless about the real world. Henry is narcissistic. Bunny is annoying. Charles is pathetic. HIs twin sister Camilla is vacuous. No one behaves well, but the plot was so addictive, I couldn't put this massive novel down. Also enjoyed Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Goldfinch, also about a lost young man without a family. I might try her The Little Friend.