Some people say this book is too pretentious or fakes being good writing but I don't care I love it anyways. Honestly I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of it but it's got murder, mystery, drugs, cultish energy, a sprinkling of homosexuality, the works. Definitely an exciting read imo.
This is a book I only recommend to the people I really like. People on the internet call it dark academia but that just feels like dumbing it down because itโs so much more than that, its absurdly comedic at times but also extremely tragic. You relate with these characters in a way you do not want to because none Of them are lovable protagonists. At times Tartt just talks about the Vermont weather for multiple pages straight but itโs never a dull moment. So if you enjoy the occasional pretentious literature (or everyday pretentious literature but then youโve already read this) this book is for you:)
It's kind of like if influencer culture took shrooms and then made love with three self help books and a sci-fi novel. The book had an incredibly slow build up, but I didn't find it boring at all, and in fact had a hard time putting it down the deeper in I got. Bottom line, even though it was less 'horror' than I was anticipating, I would recommend this book if you're looking for a surrealist read and a wild story line. Also I think about this book whenever I get into a hot tub, so thereโs that.
i read this book in early 2022. i saw it on tiktok. im admittedly not a huge reader, and books i do read seriously have to surprise me to keep me entertained. im the same with movies. i spent months trying to track down a physical copy of this book. tiktok would never reveal too much, it really just appeared in haul videos and the comments would talk about it like a secret club. i wanted in. i eventually gave up and read it on my phone. i wish i waited. things have gotten worse since we last spoke is hard to explain. its the most pathetic, entrancing, and unforeseen story i have ever read. i sincerely hope someone has read this and recommends me something even more insane because ive been chasing this high ever since i read it. the story is told over a length chatlogs shared between two women (more points for lesbians). i dont want to say much because half of the thrill of this book is discovering whats really behind those fucking emails but its a basically psychological thriller romance. dark psychological thriller romance with body horror elements but thats all im telling. my favorite sentence ever is in from book. what have you done today to deserve your eyes? i think about it once a day. its my bio for like everything. seriously, read this if your into the macabre. especially gay body horror stuff.
Especially when it's a sizeable one and you haven't read any books for months and months ( Just tore through Christopher Isherwoods 'Goodbye to Berlin' )