My introduction to the Dark Academia genre and I don't think there could have been a better start. The Secret History is an intricate and compelling read, I can understand fully why it stole so many readers' hearts. 

In The Secret History we follow Richard Papen as he recounts events of the time he studied in a clasics class run by a charming yet enigmatic professor at an elite New England college. Here, Richard befriends a group of bright misfits and we follow their slow decent from morality and into decadence. 

Donna Tartt's brilliance shines in this novel. Her lyrical prose, use of pathetic fallacy to set the tone and ability to create terrible yet complex characters that you will inevitably sympathise for, is extremely well done. 

However, the novel in my honest opinion has its faults. There were some pacing issues and I wish Julian's character had a more prominent presence. However, these faults did not detract from the novel's powerful critique of academic elitism. Privilege and the romantacizing of intellectual ideals allows our characters to disconnect from the world around them which ultimately brings them to commiting immoral acts. There is something akin to Lord of the Flies by William Golding in exploring the consequences of isolation. However, in this novel it is a deliberate choice from our characters to isolate themselves rather than forced circumstances that causes the isolation, which I found an extremely intriguing concept.

Tartt also comments on the dangers of idolising others. This novel in many ways is also about humanity and the dangers of ignoring human flaws and following others in blind faith. But every action has a consequence and our characters learn this as they are left bearing the burden of their actions. 

There is just so much that could be said about The Secret History. It is a wonderfully crafted, thought-provoking and engrossing read that I could honestly spend hours and hours discussing.