Some Secrets Are Better Kept

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Pages: 573 Genre: literary fiction, mystery

Rating: 3 Star

Kindle Notes & Highlights

A group of elite students studying ancient Greek at university are desperately seeking out a new way of life. When they succeed, however, their lives take a turn they never would've expected.

Okay, honestly, it's been a long time since I finished this book, and the Goodreads description just isn't giving me a lot to work with. Sorry, that's just the best I can do right now.

I wanted to love this book so badly. I loved "If We Were Villains," and this book often gets recommended in hand with that, so I was ready to find a new obsession. And, honestly, I really had hope for Book 1. It wasn't perfect, but I was enjoying it an awful lot. And then we get to Book 2. And then nothing else happens. This book was far too long to justify the lack of plot or character development that happens in the second half, and it didn't give me enough tragedy vibes to keep me enthralled. Overall, it was just disappointing.

The characters had to carry this book, and they just didn't. Bunny was horrible but very engaging, and he dies halfway through. That's not a spoiler: it's explained in the prologue, and the entire first half is building towards it. So once he's gone, what are we left with? Henry was vaguely interesting, but that's really it. The rest of the characters were either walking stereotypes or just built for shock value. Even Richard, the main character, didn't feel strong enough; put him in any position other than the main character and he'd just be a bland background extra. Julian is positioned as a strong mentor, but he doesn't act like it. In fact, he's barely relevant to the book as a whole. As a result, Book 2 is a character study that fails to engage the reader with a single character.

I just wanted something to happen in the second half. Consequences, either legal or societal, would've been great. Instead, it felt like we were getting reveal after reveal that ultimately meant nothing. Very big things would be brought up, and then we're all expected to move on like they're just fun little quirky character traits akin to learning someone's favorite color.

If I sound very frustrated, it's because I am. The first half of this book was good. It did a good job of building up tension surrounding this murder, and it positioned us well for an exploration of what this level of vindictiveness does to a group of students. And instead of using this tension to its advantage, the book just fully sets it aside until the last few pages. It was a letdown.

I wouldn't recommend that you read this book. The first half was setting itself up to be a favorite of mine, but the second half wasn't worth it. Plus, it was almost 600 pages. There are better books that will take half the time to read that will leave you far more satisfied.