The Secret History

A friend group of classics students at a quiet New England liberal arts college get involved in some dark activities. This novel is chilling, dreamlike, and written with a beautiful precision--something like a modern Tell-Tale Heart. It also appeals to the academic's desire to think of their studies as adventurous, exploratory, with a dangerous undercurrent. The story could only take place before the Internet Age; there's something about poring through old books in a dim-lit library that's far more romantic than doing work on a computer screen. The characters are memorable, especially Bunny, who is realistic enough to suspend your disbelief, but enough of a caricature to seem like a sort of archetype for...American values? I don't know. Anyway, the second half drags a little, but the whole book is spellbinding enough to keep you reading anyway.