Intellectual Suspense Novel

Author's Rating:

Pros: Infuses a familiar theme with new life and mystery

Cons: Lengthy descriptions are lovely, but may lose some readers

Author's Review
Upon first glance, Donna Tartt's _Secret History_ looks very unassuming. I am not ordinarily a fan of mystery or suspense novels, but I chose this book because I wanted something to read, and was pleasantly surprised.

The story begins with the disclosure of a murder. As a reader, you quickly become aware of who the killers are and who their target was, but not why--and the WHY is what is most interesting of all.

Richard Papen is a transplanted Californian in an exclusive East Coast college, and quickly becomes entangled in a small group of elite students studying Greek. There are the twins, Charles and Camilla who are closer than most brothers and sisters, Francis, the fastidious artist, Bunny, the cheerful mooch, and Henry, the aloof intellectual, and the most frighteningly intelligent of them all. Richard yearns to be one of them, but he soon finds out that there is something going on between his new friends that he is almost afraid to discover. Too late, he finds himself caught up in their secret plans, and becomes one of the group in a way that he never imagined.

Tartt's book is not your typical teenage thriller mystery like _I Know What You Did Last Summer_. It's a highly intellectual work, peppered with literary references and allusions that are just enough to give the reader a real feel of the academic atmosphere of this mysterious group and their dedication to the intellectual arts. This might be daunting to the average citizen who has little knowledge of Greek, but I assure you--neither do I! Tartt includes such references to give you the flavor of the moment, not to confuse you, and she succeeds. Her prose is as graceful as poetry, with its own rhythm and eye for detail that makes for a fascinating read.

This is a stunning debut for a first-time author, and I can't wait to see what else Tartt comes up with next.