Camilla really just offhandedly said "Oh, yeah, the only reason we don't slaughter an animal and drench our clothes in its blood to wash ourselves of the sin of murdering our close friend is because, like, Henry thinks you might be freaked out by that. I don't know why, the rest of us were all down, but I guess you're just sensitive like that, huh, Richard? Oh, look, here's my drunk brother here to be weird and jealous." AND RICHARD STILL THINKS THIS GIRL IS SO SWEET AND GENTLE? MY GOD.

"Francis sent me a six-page letter about how bored he felt, and how sick he was, and virtually everything he'd had to eat since I'd seen him last."

Imagine if Francis had written the book instead lmao.

Does anyone else remember how throughout a good part of The Secret History Richard was probably wearing a tie that had little pictures of men hunting deer on it, and every now and again he found it important to note this even though it had nothing to do with anything go on?

I feel for Richard, I really do. 'Cause, I mean... imagine liking someone for a whole year only to find out you can't date them because of their incestuous twin brother and their sociopathic secret boyfriend. My God, talk about trauma.

I don't think Richard realizes that trying to decipher which of your male friends is the most erotic isn't really a normal thing for a straight guy to do.

Francis Abernathy logic: Assist in the murder of your friend. Freak out. Smoke cigarettes. Make some tea. Try to make a move on the hot new guy. Proceed to sleep with drunk mess of an incestuous twin.

My true love will always be The Secret History. No man can compare to those flawless pages.

Francis Abernathy is the type to randomly make out with you while you're having an existential crisis and then just be like "heh heh yeah no I was just bored sorry."

Other main characters: going to school, dating troubles, crying, trying to become the best at something, going to war. Richard Papen: TODAY I TOOK VARIOUS MYSTERY PILLS AND WANTED TO DIE AND THEN I FELL ASLEEP.

❝ 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞. ❞

-𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐭

Every time anyone says "Oh, god, how you can get into The Secret History? The characters are so awful." I can barely contain the exasperated rage pummeling my body because they literally hit the nail on the head. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BOOK.

Richard is the world's most tragic character. He spends the entire book thirsting after everyone and only manages to get one gay kiss out of it.

reading books like the secret history is always such a wild ride, because i'm fully aware that it's a criticism of aesthetic hedonism and the elitism of academia, and then i'll read a line like " if we are strong enough in our souls we can rip away the veil and look at that naked, terrible beauty right in the face; let God consume us, devour us, unstring our bones. then spit us out reborn" and i go absolutely fucking feral.

Henry Winter is the type of friend to say "I know a spot" and then shove you off a cliff.

The Secret History is insane. Richard just wants to know what's going on with Camilla and Charles, and Francis is just like "Oh, yeah, Camilla and Charles sleep together all the time. I thought you knew. And I've slept with Charles, and Camilla and Henry are a thing, which Charles hates, and I want to sleep with you but you won't ever get drunk enough. Anyway, want a glass of wine?"

"Cubitum eamus?"

"What?"

Nothing."

-Donna Tartt