Even after I finished this book, the binding caught my eye and stared through me every time I pass it on the shelf. It is such a vaguely powerful book. I felt such a sense of contradiction throughout the novel, one that I will most certainly have trouble explaining. Normally I write all my thoughts about a book down first and then put them together semi-gracefully when typing, but this book requires something different. I finished this book last week and still I have an urge that if I pick it up where I left off (at the end) it will just start all over again right in my hands. This book features six students studying for a degree in the classics or more specifically Greek in a school in Vermont. The emphasis in the summary on the back of the book likes to say that the teacher of their Greek major lead them into an existence of ancient moral concepts, which in turn they adapted and corrupted until they were evil. However, that is not how I saw any of this happening.
Their professor, Julian is an eccentric man. I will give the author that. He only accepts a small number of students of his choice and they take all their classes with Julian. For many of them, Julian turned into a father figure, more than just a professor and I got the feeling that Julian felt the same way about his students. Whenever you would be reading a scene in Julian's classroom it would be tricky to follow. Between the classical references either literary or philosophical, they would fly over my head. But I understood that they were learning more than just the Greek language, but an ancient way of seeing the world and people in the world. The students left the classroom with a higher sense of being and thinking then anyone else in that party college. As Julian's group they also tended to keep within their own circle of friends.
Without going into the whole plot line, four of them performed an ancient ritual and ended up hallucinating, losing their minds temporarily and committing man-slaughter. I write it that way because what Henry, Francis, Charles and Camilla did was not just killing a man, but so much worse. After this Richard (the newer one to the group) figured it out and in turn so did Bunny. Bunny was loved by all of them, but his lack of discretion and temper with them not including him forced him outside the circle. Henry as the leader decided they would murder him as well, so he would not leak that it was they who killed the farmer. After Bunny's death, the guilt ate through all of them quickly. It lead them individually down dark paths in which almost no one could be saved. When Julian found out what they had all did, he was so beside himself he took off and never spoke to them. This was seen as cowardice, as I think it certainly did stem from being scared of what he could create in people. If I knew that I was the main influence in the lives of people who would kill their own friend and justify it so easily I would be worried as well.
The plot was not the only intriguing part of this book. It was the relationship they all had between each other. Each relationship even more unique than the last. Henry was the leader, he was also the biggest out of all of them and the smartest. He kept to himself and only let people in when he felt they had proven themselves and he was in love with Camilla. Richard was from California and had a poor family that did not love him. He too was quiet, but he spoke up when necessary. Richard became very close to all of them in a way that was still amiable (which was not usually the case in this book). Francis was a spoiled adult with bright red hair. He was also bisexual, but if he had his choice he would have just been homosexual. He tried several times to be with Charles and even Richard, neither of which worked out. Charles and Camilla are twins and had an oddly sensual relationship. Charles was very protective and guarded of Camilla, but hid it very well. The last is Bunny. Bunny was the most outgoing out of all 6. He would talk to anyone, but only what he wanted to talk about. He was very much a spoiled boy who didn't have a clue as to take care of himself. Bunny parents taught him to always be rich, but never work and threw him into society without a penny to his name. As you can imagine the dynamic between each character was something I could write ten different papers on.
The was the first book by Donna Tartt that I have read and after finishing The Secret History, I went out and bought another of her books. I suggest you do the same.
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