The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

 

Characters
Hampton College, Vermont	Other characters
John Richard Papen Henry Winter Charles and Camilla Macaulay - twins Frances Abernathy Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran   Julian Morrow – Greek professor   Dr. Roland – Richard worked for him at college   Marion – Bunny’s girlfriend   Judy Poovey   Cloke Rayburn – classmate, buys drugs Jack Teitelbaum – classmate   Epilogue: Richard – graduated from Hampton Henry – dead, suicide Francis – gay, marrying Priscilla to preserve inheritance Charles – ran off with married woman, living in Texas Camilla – not speaking with Charles, taking care of grandmother, turned down Richard’s marriage proposal because she still loved Henry Henry’s ghost – appeared to Richard	Harry Ray McRee – man killed by Francis, Henry, Charles, and Camilla while trying to have a bacchanal   Mack and Kathy Corcoran – Bunny’s parents Brothers   Agent Harvey Davenport – FBI   William Hundy – local businessman, spread false story   Priscilla – Francis’ fiancé at end of novel, “The Black Hole”

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1.       Discuss the various main characters and how they were portrayed. 

a.       Why was Henry so generous with Bunny?  For example, after the killing, he took Bunny to Italy over semester break.

b.       At the end, why did Henry commit suicide?

c.       Regarding Bunny, once he knew something, he could not quit talking about it.  Henry said of him, “The problem is he’s just a fool, and sooner or later he’s going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person” (page 177).

d.       Why was Bunny particularly cruel to Richard.  He “picked up with rapid and unflagging instinct the traces of everything in the world I was more insecure about, all the things I was in most agony to hide” (page 219).

e.       At the end of the novel, Charles entered the room with a gun and planned to kill Henry.  Charles said to Henry, “You ruined my life.” And Henry replied, “If anyone’s to blame for your problems, it’s you” (page 533).  Who was correct or are they both to blame?

f.        Richard was the narrator.  Did he have another part in the story besides this? 

2.       Money, or lack of it, played a large part in the novel.   Why did the author put so much emphasis on who had money and the reasons why some of the main characters did not?  

3.       What did you think about the incident when Bunny invited Richard to dinner, ran up a huge bill, and then lied and said he could not pay?

4.       Could the story have been the same without the major emphasis on drugs and drinking?  Why was that such a large part of the story?

5.       What did Bunny’s dad’s behavior and mourning add to the story?

6.       What did you think Julian’s back story was?

7.       Did you like the Epilogue and reading about what happened to everyone?  Was it a satisfying end?

8.       Discuss your reading experience.  Did your opinion and/or enjoyment of the novel change as you read further? 

9.       This novel was a Read with Jenna pick as well as Time Magazine’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Book of all time.   What did you think about these honors?

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