Wednesday, November 13
"Anatomy of a hype" Newsweek 9-7-92
All this for a book that shows a great deal of talent and ambition but remains every inch a first novel. A murder without the mystery, "The Secret History" is about a coterie of college students fanatically devoted to the study of ancient Greek. Halfway through the novel the group murders one of its own, and from then on the book is concerned with the ramifications of their deed, especially the psychological consequences. This could have been a successful page-turner if only the characters were compelling, but they are the weakest element. It's impossible to distinguish one student from another without continually flipping back to the page where Tartt introduces them. She adorns them with quirks, but none has a personality; and her amateur's device of keeping them constantly drunk or on drugs gets tedious fast. Unlike the truly startling debuts of recent years, such as Mona Simpson's "Anywhere But Here," or Jonathan Franzen's "The Twenty-Seventh City"-highly sophisticated achievements both technically and emotionally--"The Secret History" feels strained and pretentious, as if Tartt were determined to Write a Novel, rather than eager to tell a story.
