The twins are impacted constantly by the intersection of secrecy and intimacy, and Bunny embodies the darkness of jealousy. Francis represents the realities of familial obligations and suppression of sexuality in the 90s. Just to scratch the surface, Henry forced me to confront the limitations of societal norms and the results of harnessing power and manipulation. The original six students in the class each have their own nuances. This encourages the tone of mystery throughout the book. He both socializes with people outside Julian’s small classical study and he is brought into the intimate group within the class itself, yet he always seems to be standing just outside the door of both. Our narrator, Richard, is the latest addition to the group and as a result never fully integrates. I’d like to start with the most compelling aspect of this story, which, to me, is the cast of characters and how they interact with one another. The prose is thoughtful, the story is well-paced, the characters have more depth than some of the actual humans I know in real life, and questions of ethics, elitism, wealth, scholarship, power, death, life, and friendship are posed openly and with room to explore the grey areas of each. Now, looking back at the novel, I can tell you that this book is something special.

I have since read this book on the train, in the bathtub, while walking, and late into the night when I should have been sleeping. Its bold spine and its alluring, mysterious cover were enough to make me start reading this 524 page tome immediately, despite not having the faintest idea of its premise. I went to my favorite bookstore and bought The Secret History. Knowing this and knowing the good people of book Instagram, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

Whether you have heard of her from her most recent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Goldfinch or if you are already a die-hard fan and have read all three of her novels, it is common knowledge that her books are discussed with great passion. It is challenging to be at all interested in literature and not know about Donna Tartt. Charles, Camilla, Francis, Bunny, and Henry accept him into their inner circle, but quickly the group’s activities take on a dark undertone that Richard can’t ignore. Unable to deny the pull of their intrigue, Richard convinces their professor, Julian, to allow him to join the Classical studies major.

In the early 90s in a New England college town, Richard Papen steps on campus and finds himself irresistibly drawn to the five unapproachable, tightly knit students studying Greek in isolation from the rest of the university.

The secret history similar books