American college students doing drugs, studying Greek and
committing murder. Donna Tartt lures us
into a world where the normal limits of college life disappear and something
closer to supernatural anarchy takes over.
There are half-revealed scenes of ritual horror, betrayals of trust,
free love for some, tantalising frustrations for others.
The narrator, Richard Pappin, endures the agony and the
ecstasy of becoming a member of an elite Greek class at Hampden College,
Vermont, led by Julian Morrow, a brilliant and enigmatic professor, who remains
mostly in the shadows and, despite his almost incestuous attachment to his
exceptionally gifted students, is only partially aware of their extra
curricular obsessions.
Richard is granted entry to this elite group and begins to
find out how Bunny, Francis, Henry, Camilla and Charles tick, although there is
always the notion that secrets are being withheld from him. We, too feel that we are honorary members of
the group, only permitted to look through the blinds, as it were. The result of such a fragmented view is
that, in addition to constantly having to second guess what will happen (which
we expect to do in any good mystery), we find ourselves fretting, worrying what
these dysfunctional characters will do next to put themselves more deeply in
the mire.
At times, it was almost like reading something by Enid
Blyton. 'The Secret Seven', grown up
and with pathological tendencies.
Friendship has never been quite so stressful, or downright dangerous.
I did enjoy this book immensely, but there was something so
destructive woven into the fabric of the writing, that when I got to the final
page and saw the full-page photograph of the author, I actually shuddered. Here was Henry, just as I had imagined him,
but in female form.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a seriously
disturbing murder mystery with more than a pinch of pure madness.
