Donna Tartt - The Secret History (The Secret History - Donna Tartt)

Member Name: somersetsaint

Product:	The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Date:	10/08/00 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written, superb depth

Disadvantages: Slightly fantastic

'The Secret History' is a long novel set in an elite American private school, and focuses on a small, bright but highly obsessive group of students studying classics. A new student (the narrator - the book is written in the first person) arrives and is apparently accepted by the other members of the class. Not all is as it seems however, and problems within the group soon turn very ugly. The book then follows the moral self-questioning of the twenty-somethings as they struggle to deal with what they have done, examining their remorse and attempts at self-justification in equal measure. The ending is anything but predictable, so prepare for some shocking twists.

Although Tartt's novel can seem rather unrealistic, even silly, at first glance, this is in many ways an excellent insight into the mind of obsessive, confused youth. Despite it's length it is a genuine cannot-put-it-down book, and definitely worth a read.

Summary: