![]() Then a flight attendant came around with a tray of cookies, and, not wanting to get crumbs in the spine of my book, I started watching “The Office” on a screen a couple of rows ahead of me. My head bent over the seatback table, the reading light annoying my neighbor, I devoured the first fifty pages. It’s a wonderful introduction to the voice and vibes of the story. ![]() Tartt tells us the secret, as it were, on the very first page. Here’s the first sentence: “The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.” I admit that the novel opens in such gorgeous, immediate, clear prose that criticizing the book as a whole feels somewhat monstrous. ![]() ![]() So, on a seven-hour flight to Amsterdam last August, I pulled a used, deceptively slim copy of “The Secret History” out of my backpack and set to work. I want to feel that seductive rush of smug pride when someone mentions a popular book in conversation and I’ve read it cover to cover. ![]() It’s because two out of every 10 posts my books-focused Instagram algorithm shoves down my throat have a caption like, “Ten Books You HAVE to Read in 2023: ‘The Secret History,’” or, “Dark Academia lovers, I have the perfect book for you!”Īnd I want to be an up-to-date, informed reader. And you might wonder why I’m reviewing this book now, 31 years after it was first published. ![]()
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