books 2011 // # 28 - The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Title: The Secret History
Author: Donna Tartt (* 1963)
Publication Date: Great Britain 1992.
Genre: Contemporary. Mystery. Thriller. Suspense.
Page Count: 629.
Summary: A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return. [Source].
Review in 5 words or less: Clever plot | Good characterization | Pretty good for the first 2/3, then abruptly loses its drive |
Personal Rating: ◊ ◊ of 5.
Review:
To be honest, my first impression of The Secret History wasn't a good one. A couple of pages into the book I had the distinct feeling that the author makes an effort to cram as many quotes and references into as little space as possible, giving me an impression as if she were saying "Please, dear reader, aren't you impressed with the depth of my knowledge?" Personally, that made me recoil at first.
However, fortunately, this stopped quickly as the story got rolling. In fact, the first two-thirds of the book are really good and by page 50 at the very latest, I was hooked.
For me the fascination did not only lie in Bunny's murder and what led to it, but more in the character of Henry and how he gained so much power over his friends. In the beginning Henry is a quirky, peculiar but ultimately likable character - the most likable of the Greek scholars in my opinion. The fascinating thing is that I barely noticed how this nice, reclusive young man turns into an ice-cold murderer. It really only occurred to me that Henry is a psychopath when he meticulously plans Bunny's murder with mushrooms and tests them on the neighbor's dogs. This transition and the ever growing tension up to Bunny's murder makes for an amazing and fascinating read.
However, then the pacing slackens abruptly and in my opinion this is where the book starts to lose substance as well. The way the murderers start falling apart could have been fascinating to read - but somehow, the way it's being presented, it's not fascinating at all.
By the end of the book I found myself disliking each of the Greek scholars who, when it comes down to it, are little more than stupid, weak, spoiled brats with an unfounded superiority complex and who happen to be high or drunk almost all the time.
I would have liked to learn more about the enigmatic teacher, Julian, as well.
Overall The Secret History is a book that starts out strongly, then loses its drive and delivers an underwhelming ending.
Links: @ wikipedia
Other books I've read by this author: ---.