Donna Tartt was catapulted to literary fame when Alfred A. Knopf published her debut novel, The Secret History in 1992. Receiving enormous acclaim, The Secret History signaled the arrival of a major literary talent, among the best of her generation. Yet, to the surprise of many (and disappointment of others) Tartt's ensuing output proved less than prodigious: one novel, The Little Friend, published in 2002, and another, The Goldfinch, published 11 years after that, in 2013. There are also 4 short fictional works (in The New Yorker and Harpers, both 1993, in GQ, 1995, and The Guardian, 2005) and several non-fiction articles, as well as the afterword for the Overlook Press reprint of Charles Portis' True Grit in 2010. When she does write, Donna Tartt is a woman of many words: her three novels run to well over 500 pages each. I only wish she wrote more often. 

It is Tartt's insightful and well-structured prose and character development that transforms The Secret History from an overheated Southern Gothic psychodrama (even though it's set in rural Vermont) into a highly literary work of depth and meaning: I'm amazed that this is her first novel. There is nothing shallow or naive about The Secret History. It is knowing and frank, without ever feeling manipulative or sentimental. Set at fictional Hampden College (standing in for Bennington College, the author's alma mater), the book revolves around a group of college students who come from backgrounds of wealth and privilege, hardly obliged to follow rules or engage in social niceties with campus hoi polloi (who, mostly, come from similar backgrounds). This singular coterie deem themselves elevated--far above the rest of the student body--by their participation in an exclusive Classics studies program and a mutual adoration for the professor, Julian Morrow, who has personally selected each to enroll in his courses. Since only 5 have been singled out by this brilliant, influential mentor, they feel even more superior: surely, they have been smiled upon by the gods. 

Well, maybe not. 

A young Californian named Richard Papen finds himself at Hampden College after his attempts at studying medicine fall apart. Richard, from a destitute suburban household ruled over by a malevolent, abusive father, seems an unlikely candidate for admission to the elite school. Richard, however, is enterprising and doesn't give up easily. Against the odds, he is accepted by the college--with certain provisos--and, soon enough, becomes enamored with the strange clique populating Julian Morrow's Classics studies. There are quirky Charles and Camilla, troubled twins with southern, vaguely aristocratic origins; Francis, the pampered, highly-strung only child of a much-married, old-monied socialite; "Bunny", the youngest of five boys, an athletic and academically disinterested opportunist whose hearty, often antagonistic, demeanor masks a stealthy intelligence; and aloof, enigmatic Henry, an intellectually rigorous, multilingual seeker of transcendence who functions as the de facto leader of the group, the one closest to Julian's heart.  

Embroidering his own back story, Richard is eventually adopted by the clique, and by Julian, (despite his initial reluctance) when he allows Richard to join his classes. Once inside this seemingly charmed circle, the unsophisticated Richard begins to sense cracks in the carefully constructed facades. At first, they are minor distractions, but certain events and behaviors suggest something darker at work behind the scenes. The story becomes a sort-of mystery by virtue of the fact that we aren't sure exactly who is manipulating who, and because we know, from the outset, who is dead and who is responsible, just not the hows and whys of the deed. The suspense comes from an older Richard's thoughtful rendering of that particular time in his youth, of a shared secret history. 

Every character in The Secret History is exquisitely drawn and, despite their often (mostly?) despicable behavior, I found them fascinating and extremely believable. Five years before Tartt's book was published, friend and fellow Bennington College classmate, Bret Easton Ellis published The Rules of Attraction, detailing the camaraderie and carnal misadventures of a circle of friends attending another fictionalized version of Bennington. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ellis' novel although it is vastly different from Tartt's work. Where Rules is sexually explicit  and often very funny, History is more circumspect, (and ultimately tragic) though it is never prudish or judgmental: History has its share of sex scenes but they are far from gratuitous. Ellis' writing exhibits a more "modern" sensibility,  where Tartt recalls earlier authors who took great pains to create credible moral quandaries facing their conflicted protagonists. Ellis is an entertainingly hip, often highly controversial shit-stirrer; Tartt is grounded, steady, a storyteller with 19th century roots. For different reasons, I love reading both of them but am most moved by Tartt. If you haven't read The Secret History--shockingly, there are those who haven't--then get to the bookstore and pick up a copy now! Especially if you once attended a small college teeming with seething undercurrents and secretive, dangerous passions.