I don't mean to sound rude but trying to find books based on my love for TSH has become a major headache. A lot of the books that get grouped in with TSH aren't necessarily bad, and I don't necessarily blame anyone for how they suggest books, it all seems in good faith, but none of them come close.
I acknowledge that Donna Tartt's writing, at least in that novel, is suburb and may be hard to replicate. I love how poetic and detailed she is and I don't think it's easy to write with sophistication and understanding the way Tartt does. That's part of the reason TSH is so good. At least to me.
When I say "I want a book like TSH." I don't mean I just want a blanket statement "dark academia" book. I don't want to be recommended Bunny by Mona Awad (I love this book) or Ninth House. They're nothing like The Secret History.
I don't mean I just want a book set in college or a book with a full cast of characters. That could be literally anything.
I want books that feel like The Secret History. I want books that are poetic and satirical like The Secret History. I want books that are well thought out, researched, and lived in like The Secret History.
The closest I've gotten are Babel by R.F Kuang, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Tartt's own book, The Goldfinch. Which I actually think pales in comparison to The Secret History.
I don't know, it feels like all recommendations fall short and don't fully understand or get the scope of what makes TSH great. And again, I understand there may not be another book as great because of how unique it may be or how Donna Tartt writes, but I also think the books that often get compared or recommended alongside TSH don't even come close.
by sixeyedgojo