Read With Us: The Secret History Promo Post

As you know, our Read With Us selection for this winter is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It’s my turn today to tell you why you should read this book . . . Bonny and Kym will also be taking a shot at that in the coming weeks.

This book is completely immersive and couldn’t we all use a completely immersive book right now? It’s about a group of brilliant but morally bankrupt students who take their obsession with Greek philosophy way too far. Think Crime and Punishment meets Dead Poets Society and you’re on the right track. The characters are complex and deeply flawed, unhinged and reckless. They unravel and turn on each other in a way that’s both fascinating and disturbing.

It’s dark academia at it’s best with ivy-covered buildings, hidden library alcoves, misty Vermont forests and candlelit study session filled with secrets. It’s the kind of place you might wish you could visit until you realize the people there might be dangerous. Unlike most murder mysteries, the crime is revealed at the beginning and that turns this into a whydunit rather than the typical whodunit. It’s all about revealing the psychology behind the murder and its aftermath.

The writing is exquisite, the pacing is deliberate as Tartt takes time to explore emotions and relationships, and it’s told in the first person. It’s literary fiction, for sure, but it’s accessible and not at all pretentious.

If I’ve done my job correctly today, you’ve added this book to your TBR and the date of our book discussion (March 25th at 7pm) to your calendar.

Comments (6)

  1. I finished it this past weekend. Your description of the group is interesting, not how I would have described them. Looking forward to the discussion.

  2. I started it over the weekend and have read roughly a fifth of it. I’m enjoying Tartt’s writing more than the story. But…I’ve still lots to read (it is a long book!).

  3. I have begun my re-read of this fantastic book! (and I am discovering many things I did not remember!) I am excited for our discussion!

  4. I’ve got three books to finish and then I’m going to read TSH. I really need immerse myself in a book, even if it involves being immersed with some unlikable characters!

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