Thursday 8 October 2009

The Secret History

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt is one of my favourite novels. Despite it's loneliness and rather dark theme, it really drew me in when i started university. It tells the story of a lonely boy keeping his past a secret when he starts university, and existing in a somewhat apathetic aimless cloud. He eventually becomes part of a select enigmatic group though, and the cameraderie in the book is reassuring in real life, even when things go wrong and his new friends commit murder.
The way the book is written is elegant and while not overcomplicated, it shows a certain sophisticated flourish. The world it describes really becomes your own, and you will read for hours without realising. I myself read it in only 2 or 3 sittings, purely because I was never less than fully invested in the plot and characters.
This book is an effective escape, but never a shallow one. Even when things go horrendously wrong, you still want to stay there. Nothing is perfect, but it is certainly compelling.

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