the fire of pure being : my review of “the secret history” by donna tartt

if there’s anything worse than finishing an absolutely excellent book, it’s the unmissable fact that you’ll have to write a review about it. the secret history is a book that’s more than a delight, it’s the buffet itself.

the book is the epitome of a reader’s delight- if you’re into murders, a batshit crazy group of “friends”, ancient languages and passive aggressiveness.

since i have midterms in a hot minute, this post will only encompass of my thoughts on the book as whole and not on each character individually. disclaimer: this is not a book review, this is a just-converted-donna-tartt-fan gushing over the beauty of her work. the secret history took me less than 48 hours to finish- i read it this past summer and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since. i pulled an all-nighter reading it and i would definitely do it again.

it’s not just the intricacy of the characters, it’s the way every event is both diabolical and symbolical. it’s how the emotions and feelings of the characters are suppressed so deep they turn to unethical ways to release their emotions. it’s the way every justification of their actions falls flat and yet they continue the repeating game. it’s the way they plainly get wasted and there’s beauty in the simple act of getting wasted- losing consciousness, giving up tracking reality and instead falling into a beautiful mayhem.

maybe that’s what life’s all about, a beautiful mayhem- pleasure in pain, organisation in chaos.