“It's a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves? Euripides speaks of the Maenads: head thrown I back, throat to the stars, "more like deer than human being." To be absolutely free! One is quite capable, of course, of working out these destructive passions in more vulgar and less efficient ways. But how glorious to release them in a single burst!"
I have returned to Donna Tartt after a period of seven years (plus a few months.) The fact that the title of her first book kept coming up in reading groups, and reviews, plus the fact that parts of the Gold Finch has etched itself in my memory, convinced me that I had to read "The Secret History" - many said that The Secret History was a better book than her Pulitzer award winner. And upon completing it, I think I agree.
The book begins in what could usually be considered a glimpse of the climax of the book - a reference to the killing of a youth, by his closest friends. It is then the narration of Richard Papen, of how it came to be that the death of their friend came necessary - or so they believed at the point - or so they were convinced by one or more (?) of their friends - and the heavy price that they all paid - not in terms of a punishment by the law of the land, but the close bonding they had, comes apart at the seams with their lives changing forever. Youth, in their twenties, self absorbed, mostly rich, who had never considered working a day in their lives, for whom the classics - Greek, in particular was an indulgence as they enjoyed each other's company - until they literally couldn't ! Until it was dangerous to each other, despite them loving each other! Despite the tragedy that the reader becomes aware of at the start, it cannot be helped if the reader feels an envy for the lives that these youths led. At least two thirds of that group were with a high intellectual bent, enjoying the finer arts, and drinking like fish. Carefree, under a University professor, who brought out the best of them - made them shine, made them live through the classics - until one day they realised that there their hero wore a facade, and only when it was too late. Most, if not all, loved their teacher more than their own parents. The subject of parents is once again a topic bound in controversy ( read "The Goldfinch"). Here too, Richard's parents aren't exactly keen about their only child. Edmond's mother is clearly a pretentious sort, and in no uncertain is it said that all of their children were let off to society to scrounge from it. Francis' mother has been under influence of drink and substance most of her life, and leads a playful life with her much younger second husband. In essence the friends are everything to each other, and their was a good chance that the six of them may have lived in a closed knit lot, most of their adult life; until things fell apart on one fateful night, when they wanted to first hand experience the Dionesian aspects as told in the Greek myths. Without causing a spoiler ( meaning that the remaining sentences of this paragraph will only make sense to those who have read the book, and a somewhat hazy one to those who are yet to read it), the reader can take that incident in one of two ways. One could take it literally, or that they have self intoxicated themselves, through various means, to such a degree that they felt they lived through - a temporary madness as it were. I think either approach will work equally well for the overall book.
The characters here are nurtured so well, that the reader can't help but feel that they know them as they were her own friends. Henry's intellectual, part selfish, part genius, part mad-hat character is so well detailed, even after he is pulled down from the high pedestal, the undeniable regard for him doesn't quite go away. Camilla stays a Greek goddess, despite her excesses, her hard character, for her beauty speaks to the reader across the pages - mainly through the thoughts of Richard. And Richard - our narrator - a habitual liar ( at least at the start) , who gets accepted by the other five, and Julian, despite the differences in their social background, the fact that he is literally dirt poor, and even when, at least Julian, Henry, and Edmond realises the fabricated nature of Richard purported background. The one liner that Julian throws at Richard made me chuckle:
"Dear me, you are being truthful today,"
Am sure that this book will leave a deep etched impression in me, just as Gold Finch did - even though Gold Finch is clearly a lesser book than this, given its somewhat distributed nature of the plot, and the more diverse experiences that Theo Dexter lives through ( I will add the note I wrote about The Gold Finch back in 2015, to these pages soon.) Donna Tartt has written just three novels over a period of 30 years ( I would like to think, that a new book by her is expected soon, given its been around nine years since her last). Some critics find a Dickensian influence in her writing - mostly in The Gold Finch than here - but I would venture to say the Dickensian aspect is present here too. The diversity of social classes, as well as the elegant snobbery of Henry, Julian, which is presented without a sense of sarcasm - meaning that they lived it, believing in it, earnestly- could be looked upon as modern day Dickensian.
In conclusion, I feel that the brief period that they lived together as a bunch of friends, among the academia, the heady days, the intoxicated carefree days, was probably a good bargain against a dull fifty-sixty years. I am wont think that this brief period, and its overall intoxication represents the Dionysian concept of being free, and losing control. Henry am sure would see it that way; I venture to guess so would Bunny.
“The idea of living there, of not having to go back ever again to asphalt and shopping malls and modular furniture; of living there with Charles and Camilla and Henry and Francis and maybe even Bunny; of no one marrying or going home or getting a job in a town a thousand miles away or doing any of the traitorous things friends do after college; of everything remaining exactly as it was, that instant – the idea was so truly heavenly that I’m not sure I thought, even then, it could ever really happen, but I like to believe I did.”
A one of a kind book of maddening brilliance.
Rating: ****1/2
(photo credits: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a28954524/donna-tartt-secret-history-movie/ )
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