The Secret History - A Review

The Secret History, written by Donna Tart, has long been considered the epitome of the Dark Academia aesthetic- all intellectual and philosophical musings, thought provoking dialogues, and polished facades. However, the novel is as much a critique of the aesthetic (and aestheticism in general) as a template for the dark academia books that came along later. 

The plot follows our protagonist, Richard Papen, as he gets admitted into a prestigious college with a highly selective classics program. Once admitted, Richard gets entranced by the glamorous, easy lifestyles of his fellow classmates, and seeks to become one of them- easygoing, witty, charming, and magnetic. The novel is narrated in first person, from Richard’s point of view.

The novel is not the kind that I personally believe should be rushed through- it is one to savor, one to ruminate over, and spend time with. The progression of the novel is not steady- its pacing can be erratic, or slow. This, paired with the sometimes cozy, lush imagery, and the cold, unnerving dialogues gives this book a unique flavor- every character is capable of shocking or surprising the reader, the people around them, and themselves.

This novel does, very plainly, have very grey characters- neither good nor bad, but they do tend to lean more towards the bad. The trajectory of the characters is fascinating, and masterfully created- each character is unique, detailed, and twisted in some or the other odd way.

All in all, this book is not one I would consider an easy read- it can be discomforting, the descriptions can be dizzying, almost sickening. Moreover, the transition from springtime beauty and frolicking daydream-esque descriptions of the lives of these students to the cold, tragic, raw, and uncouth reality of their personas can be rather upsetting if one gets attached to a character (which I did). However, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting book- not necessarily a fun one, even though this one too has its light-hearted moments. Just be prepared for things to go south, very quickly.

Tiana Prem Wig