A review by fitzbff
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Omg I'm so glad I didn't write this off as an overhyped pretentious booktok/tube/twt book. Donna Tartt's beautiful and tense prose is really the glue that holds this book together, I don't know if this would've landed for me were it not for the way this book is literally written. It envelops the reader in this warm, cosy, and yes, pretentious, mood, and you don't realise how screwed up these characters are until it's too late. Like our narrator, Richard Papen, we are smitten by the central cast's wit and charm, until only too late we realise who they really are. I thought this central cast was mostly well written, despite maybe a couple characters needing a bit more development. The real star of the show is Henry Winter, one of my favourite characters I've read this year. His psyche is so interesting, and it would've fallen flat were it not for the narration from Richard's POV. When reading this, you can tell that Tartt put a lot of thought into every aspect, every word feels important and thought out, every character beat feels intentional. While it was maybe a tad long, and I really would've appreciated some shorter chapters, overall this was an enthralling and impressive read.