A review of "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

This book will evoke feelings of intrigue - suspense - inner conflict.

It has been a long time since I picked up a book that I could not put down. Donna Tartt did not disappoint in her debut novel “The Secret History,” which captures the single, but superlative, year a young Richard Papen spends at Hampden College as a Classics student. His classes are taught by the eccentric and enigmatic Julian Morrow who delights in the heady thickness of the human experience - an observer of life. His students are personally hand-picked and must meet his perception of superiority demonstrated through their intellect and iridescent nature. While the novel explores the full spectrum of students at Hampden it revolves heavily around the insular group of Classics students.

The closed group by-invite-only is made up of six individuals. At its epicenter is Henry Winters - brilliant and reticent; Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran - brash and affable; twins Charles and Camilla Macaulay - synchronous and beautiful; and Francis Abernathy - discerning and quick witted. This leaves our main guide Richard Papen - outsider and linguist.

We follow these six classmates through the corridors of Hampden, listening to their philosophical conversations, attending their dinner parties and lake-house getaways, and running high on whiskey and painkillers. The reader slowly learns about each character who are all bathed in a halo of enrapturement cast by Richard - cue the imposter syndrome diagnosis. This twisty rollercoaster leaves the reader turning page after page - first as we hurtle towards the crime that was committed, then circumnavigate the cover up, and finally question every motive of every character as we wonder who will break or betray under the crushing weight of guilt.

This is a dark psychological thriller come to life as through Richard’s eyes we too accept thinly veiled excuses and justify immorality. This body of writing earns its prodigy for its fantastic character reveal and uncanny ability to make us believe we are the first-person Richard Papen. Outsider invited in.