The Secret History - More than a Murder Thriller

By far, one of the most stunning pieces of fiction I have read in recent years. This book has much to offer to any reader, whether you are looking for intriguing characters, sophisticated prose, a spellbinding thriller, an exploration into the nature of human beings, a philosophical read, or even a modern Greek-style-tragedy, if you are a keen and thoughtful reader this book will doubtless satisfy you.
It has been criticised in various areas, but in the case of The Secret History, I believe that what appears to be a flaw is actually a deliberate contribution to the novel's successful impact, when looked at in more depth.
For example, Richard, the narrator, has been slated by some as a "Two-dimensional character", but I believe this is because Richard is a different kind of narrator than we are used to; he is a passive observer, instead of an active contributor to the events in the novel.
This is what makes The Secret History different from other murder thrillers; it gives us an insight into bystander ethics so we can try to understand why people allow things to happen that they know, inside, are wrong.
It has also been labelled "anti-climatic", but, as Donna Tartt herself revealed in a recent interview, this too is a deliberate theme throughout her work; she tries to move away from the modern, conventional "catching the bad guy" climax of a murder mystery, to a more believable one. After further related traumas, the characters drift along in their empty lives. The anticlimax of the book reflects how the incidents are never really over for them.
Past reviews seem to have focused on The Secret History as a Murder Mystery, but the murder itself, and the actions surrounding it are simply illustrations of the book's essential themes; human nature, hierarchy, prejudice and bystander ethics. This book can be enjoyed from a psychological, philosophical and even sociological standpoint as well as a literary one.
Hints are made at ideas of power, murder, life and death throughout history, in the direction of ancient Greece and Native American Indian massacres, so this not just about The Secret History of the murderous five, but the brutal Secret History our society is founded on.
If you like a character-driven novel, this book could also be seen from that point of view- I challenge anyone to find a fictional character like Henry, whom, by the end of the book, we can't quite believe is actually human.
This is a haunting book which will leave you with much more than a sense of having read a good thriller, but should give you much to think about too.