Updated now that I have a few more days of distance from this book:

Recently, I read M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains, a book which is very often compared to The Secret History. While it borrows some themes and even plot points from The Secret History, what really sets it apart is that Rio's characters are ultimately far, far more sympathetic than Tartt's.

The Secret History is truly dark. Nearly every character is despicable. Everything they do is borderline evil. And yet, you find yourself sucked into their world. They fascinate you. You're intoxicated with their style, their intellect, their utter disdain for anything the modern world has to offer. And you begin to question yourself. Why do you like these people? Why do you want them to not be found out? The answer is that Donna Tartt is a mastermind. She is the puppet master of a spiraling disaster, and you are on the other end of her strings, being pulled down with Richard et al. The book is melodramatic. It's over the top. It's disturbing. All of this is what makes it such a masterpiece. I don't really have the words to describe the experience of reading this. Even at the end, you're only left with an enigmatic wink to something more. And with that, Tartt snuffs the candle out. She was always in control.

Something about this book that I believe many mind find offputting - though I personally love this quality - is its deliberately vague sense of time. The characters walk around in tweed jackets and suits, Francis sports a (albeit fake) pince nez, and at one point, it's explained that Henry doesn't know that the moon landing has occurred. It's easy to second guess when the book is supposed to take place. This gives the story the qualities of a wavering mirage, as though if you look away it might not be at all what you thought it was. Tartt's beautiful and dense prose suits the highly stylized aesthetic of the novel, and though its events are nearly too ridiculous, you accept them with ease. This book is truly what a modern classic is meant to be.