“…If death is a journey to another place – that you will not see him again?”
“It’s good to change the place where one sleeps from time to time, I believe it gives one more interesting dreams.”
- My rating: ♾️
- Pages: 629
- Date published: 1992
- Publisher: Penguin Books
I’m completely sure I haven’t read any books that are labelled as “dark academia” by the book community, which makes reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt even more special in my opinion being that it’s also highly, highly recommended. No pressure at all. I’ve seen a couple of reviews on YouTube and TikTok only to have the general idea of what it’s about and the consensus of how good of a reading experience it is — mind-blowing, beautifully written piece of literary fiction and modern classic, very dark and tragic. It sounded perfect, like just the book I need to tear my brain cells and emotions apart for the next couple of days. My book review might be ideal for readers who aren’t familiar with this genre and want to test the waters like me!
A spoiler-free review
Synopsis
Right off the bat, it’s pointless to get the general premise of the story simply by reading the synopsis at the back of the book or from Goodreads, an almost copy-paste effort on their part and 30-second waste of time for me when I was at the bookstore with the said book miraculously available in hand. This story is narrated by Richard Papen, a melancholic and listless young man in his early twenties who narrates his search for meaning and belonging. He sounds relatable, we’ve been there before, and it seemed that he almost found his place at a classics programme along with a group of elitists, eccentric students at Hampden College in rural Vermont, New England, USA. Except that we will know almost instantly that he couldn’t be more wrong, supplied with Richard’s sense of impending disillusionment that affects the entire narrative.
We’re also introduced to Julian Morrow, the programme’s charismatic teacher, who exercises a powerful influence over his “chosen” students. He cultivates an exclusive environment, separating them from their peers and the outside world. Every facet of their lives is touched, from their intellectual development and personal lifestyle to their very philosophical ideals. The classes they have, and the other students Richard befriend hold a mysterious and alluring nature. However, despite the amount of time he spends with them, there’s always something that they’re holding back from him and us the readers. At least from our perspective and Richard’s, it seemed like the group are so closely-knit that we as the newcomer would have to work hard to become more like them, requiring a complete assimilation into their unique world to be fully accepted.
Richard is immediately confronted with the fragility of their friendship. A tragic and shocking murder—one of their own—occurs in the prologue. This isn’t a spoiler; it’s a deliberate mention by the author designed to shatter any notions of a perfect, unbreakable friendship from the very beginning. From there, the pages keep turning.
My Thoughts
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect!
I don’t have any books that are similar to this besides “If We Were Villains” by M.L Rio, that had me reading steadily over these past couple of days; either on the edge of my seat from the slow-burning, teeth-chattering suspense or casually laid out on a chair while absorbing the mundane observations between Richard and his friends. There’s not much above and beyond that, or even in between. It’s a dark, wordy chonk of a book with beautifully described sceneries and observations of people and places in the story. Yet, the author’s talent for threading each description right back to the core of the story keeps the scenery and characters truly come alive on the page. I could just shut my eyes and imagine that I’m right next to Richard as the story unfolds around him.
I’ve seen a different review of someone who isn’t into dark academia or whatever this book is categorised as, and they were not a fan of it. It felt boring, dragging, mellow, and too wordy with obvious lack of action happening. I can see it from their standpoint that it could be that way, but I think it also has to do with unmet expectations and just generally, difference in book preferences. I do feel that this book is neither one that you can speed-read for the sake of reading while missing out on the rich subtexts, nor one that you can expect a lot of action. It’s about noticing the character development of Richard and the gradual discovery of his own character and morals, and those of his friends. It’s a book to savour, to analyse, to discuss. The richly drawn characters, with all their flaws and excesses (the amount of alcohol and drugs consumed… how are these kids even ALIVE), and the fatal consequences that come with going into the extremes will stay with you long after you finish reading. At the time that I’m writing this, it’s been 12 hours since I shut the book and stared at my wall… thinking, “What now? And what just happened?” I want to get into videos and discussions about theories behind the characters’ motives to act and say the way they did, I want to imbed my brain into the lore of this book.
Recommended: Yay or Nay?
YAY! Even for someone who wouldn’t say I’m THAT into dark academia (just yet, that is), it got me hooked almost immediately, and when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking, DREAMING even, about what could happen in the coming pages. I can’t recommend it enough. It perfectly captures the essence of “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” ” making the reading experience truly rewarding.
Have you read The Secret History? What did you think about it?
And what would you suggest me read next?
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