Book Title: The Secret History
Author: Donna Tartt
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Dark Academia
Page Count: 559
Started/Ended Date: March 29 – April 6
Total Reading Time: 11 hours 36 minutes

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.

This was a tough book for me to get through. I loved the story and the way that it was written but it was a challenge for two reasons. First, the vocabulary in this book was pretty advanced. I’d like to think that my own vocabulary is wider than average, but I was pausing my reading timer multiple times per session to look up words like “dolorous”, “epicene”, “circumlocution”, and “alacrity”. It did make me feel pretty smart to be reading it though.

Another reason I struggled with this book was the pace. It was definitely a slow burn and combined with the big words, I found myself wanting to push on and keep reading but being physically unable to keep my eyes open. This is definitely a book to read while well caffeinated.

When I was able to stay awake, this was a great book. Richard’s character was very relatable to me in the sense that he was trying so hard to fit in that he ended up helping cover up a murder. I have never personally gone to those lengths to make friends, but I kind of get it.

I can also relate to being young(er) and wanting to find meaning in life. Like most of the characters in the book, the idea of living a life around a 9-5 job sounded like a monotonous hell when I was in high school and college. Also like the characters, I romanticized the darker things in life. There were a few quotes from this book that I underlined:

“Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that’s why we’re so anxious to lose them.”

“One can lose oneself in the joy of battle, in fighting for a glorious cause, but there are not a great many glorious causes for which to fight these days.”

“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”

I’m personally thanking God that I didn’t read this in high school or college because one of these probably would have ended up tattooed on me.

I think my views on this book would have been a lot different if I had read this when I was younger. I probably would have romanticized the characters and the plot more, but as an adult, I felt pity for them. They all made such permanent and devastating decisions when they were still in this dark phase. It also made me feel a little more sympathy for my younger self and gratitude that I was able to get out of that dark phase.

This was a great read and I’m proud of myself for tackling it. I would 100% recommend this book with the caveat of being highly caffeinated and not a depressed teenager.

What did you think of this book? Let me know in the comments!