The Secret History

Author Donna Tartt

Richard Papen is a member of a group of five students selected by a gifted professor to study the world of intellect. They all spend their weekends together in an old country house, reading and discussing issues concerning the world of knowledge - from ancient Greek writers to modern thinkers and artists - but also about everyday issues. Richard, unaware of the crime he is committing, is fascinated by his new companion. But when he gains their trust, they confess to him and slowly convince him of his necessity: the murdered classmate and friend threatened to reveal their secret, thus undermining their future. This is an unimaginably attractive book. It is a time of deception and complicity, of innocence slowly being tainted by egocentrism and moral arrogance; a story of guilt and responsibility. Author Donna Tart, with her superb narrative writing, richness of ideas and language, is established as an extremely gifted novelist.