The Secret History

I have a habit of glancing at the blurb of a book just long enough to get the general gist of the story, but I then quickly avert my eyes to avoid potential spoilers.

This often leads to wildly different expectations about what I think the story will be versus what it actually turns out to be.

Take The Secret History, for example. I expected a thriller or mystery: rich college students, full of hubris, going on a murderous rampage in a quiet, tranquil U.S. town. That is, indeed, what Donna Tartt’s debut novel is about. And yet, I was completely unprepared for how genuinely funny this book ended up being.

The group of sociopaths at the center of the story are not meant to be liked. Their few redeeming traits are far overshadowed by a myriad of terrible ones. While I did grow fond of two characters, I couldn’t, if pressed, make any convincing arguments in their favor.

But, my god, they are hilarious. A chaotic mix of incompetence, depravity, arrogance, and sheer stupidity, they somehow manage to make you laugh with nearly every line—delivered with perfect deadpan humour, even as their lives (predictably) spiral out of control.

If I have one criticism of The Secret History, it’s the length. Much of the second half could have been trimmed, with some plot-lines cut, to deliver the ending in a more impactful way. But that’s easily forgiven when the majority of the book is such a joy to read.

4 Stars.