Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond the constructs of morality.

This dark academia novel set in New England was the perfect autumn read. The book was the perfect blend of an intellectual work and a psychological thriller. I loved The Goldfinch by Tartt and was glad that her beautiful writing and story-telling abilities also shone through in this book. The Secret History contained many literary allusions to Greek and Classic works, which really helped set the novel’s tone and allowed the novel to almost read as a modern day Greek tragedy. The pace was a bit slow, the book was filled with suspense so I was never bored. The lyrical writing balanced out the slowness of the plot and really commanded the narrative. The characters were complex, thinking themselves living a life full of poetry and meaning but in reality the came off as misguided, insufferable know it alls. Nonetheless, they were still relatable in a way as they searched for meaning and beauty in life (albeit it in the absolute worst and wrongest way). This was a beautifully haunting and unique story that will stay with me for a while!