An oldie but goodie- The Secret History

I read a lot. I'm a librarian. It's natural. However, as much as I read there are very few novels that really stick with me. You know, those that you can honestly recommend as one of the best books I have read. The Secret History by Donna Tartt is one of those. Written in 1992 it is a psychological thriller with all the components, murder, money, sex, drugs, but it is the storytelling ability of Tartt that will grab you and hold on until you have finished the last page.

Richard, the product of a lower class home, is attending a posh Vermont Ivy League school where he finds himself enamored of a group of fellow students in the Greek and classical languages department. These students in many ways are your stereotypical privileged youth whose money allows them to behave badly without consequence. They readily accept Richard as part of their group and confide that during a drunken ancient ritual they accidentally killed a man. One of the friends is threatening to divulge their secret so the group must kill him also. After this each of them begins to spiral out of control towards an ultimate consequence. Tartt uses their actions in the aftermath of the murder to reveal so much about their natures and you will find yourself simultaneously loving and hating them all.

The Secret History is a page turning thrill ride into the dark side of human nature. It proves that the best reads are not always found on the New Book shelf.