This is my second Donna Tartt after The Goldfinch, but it's actually her first book. Tartt is a master of descriptions. Everything is very fluid and she is very good in describing not only the surroundings, but also the human emotions. I find that her style is much more matured in The Goldfinch; but it's still a joy to read The Secret History.
The Secret History is about a bunch of college students who killed one of them. (This is not a spoiler because that's what she revealed in the first sentence of the book) So yeah, the climax is at the start; and then the story builds up on why they did it, and what happened after. I admit that I got bored on the second half of the book but the ending was oh-so-marvelous!
I enjoy reading Tartt's work because she never fails to give you treats for sticking with her till the end. The way she describes one of the characters, for example: a lowbrow, pop-psychology version of Sylvia Plath... hahahaha.... that's a nice one!
And also, there is this part where everybody was so solemn during a funeral service, and something that is totally irrelevant popped in one chunky paragraph (pic below). Reading about a funeral service is such a chore, and when I found this para I laughed so hard I had to stop and read it more than twice. Gosh, how I love her writing!
So now I'm waiting for her second book The Little Friend to arrive in my mailbox. I can't wait for another fun ride.
Donna Tartt is not for everyone. There are polarised reviews on her works, and I'm a fan. I have book hangover now; I think I need a few days to recover from The Secret History before moving on to my next book.
