Do you remember what we were speaking of earlier, of how bloody, terrible things are sometimes the most beautiful?” he said. “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?

—Donna Tartt, The Secret History

Following a friend’s recommendation, I decided to give this book a shot despite the fact that I abandoned The Goldfinch halfway through. I’m glad I did. Because I had the chance to meet some of the most interesting fellows from Hampden College.

Tartt really took her time in fleshing out believable characters. Sometimes at the expense of having an exciting plot point. I wouldn’t really call it a page-turner. However, the regular day-t0-day college activities proved to be essential in building their distinctive facets as individuals. I mean, repeat such mundanity a handful of times and it will just be impossible to not be familiar with these students from New England.

Wrong. Just as I thought I know this character, Henry, particularly his snooty, highbrow approach to life, all of a sudden he does this act towards the end that completely changes everything. And now I can’t wrap my head around it. I want to talk to him to ask him why he did it. But alas, I am faced with the beautiful limitation of fiction. All I’m left with is the option to re-read the book and look for any of his beliefs or opinions that I must have missed.