I am half-way through Donna Tartt's
The Secret History, which I am reading on a 15-year-old recommendation. Actually, I think the recommendation was of another book of hers,
The Little Friend, which had just come out at the time, but a copy of The Secret History was in the right place at the right time and so that is the one I'm reading.
The book was written in 1992, which doesn't seem like a long time ago but I must acknowledge that it was. The book has aged relatively well. It is set at a college, and although my college experience began six years later and included things like cell phones and the internet, Tartt's depiction seems very familiar.
Social norms are another hallmark of the times, and the book holds up for the most part. There is a character in the book that is misogynistic, homophobic, and either ignorant or intolerant of anything he finds to be different. Although the character is beloved by the narrator and the others in the core group, his bigotry is regarded with appropriate disgust by his peers and by Tartt. There's a lot to say about this character and the relationships surrounding him, as the story really centers on him, but suffice it to say he is seen for what he is.
There is only one stinging aspect of the book that struck me as slightly off, and that is the subtle perpetuation of the idea of gay men as sexual predators. Of course we see the problematic character described above at his homophobic worst, but there is also a hint of homophobia in the narrator, whom I believe we're intended to trust (I mean, he's a compulsive liar, but he's being very frank with the reader). The narrator openly admits (to the reader) that he is uncomfortable around gay men. Admitting it is healthy enough, I suppose, but what is the nature of this discomfort? It is unveiled for us when a friend of his ("a homosexual") makes a pass at him. All turns out well in the end, but the narrator says that he knew this moment was "inevitable." He "knew" there would come a time when his gay friend would come on to him. Why? Because the narrator is narcissistic? By all accounts, the narrator has a low opinion of himself, so I'd say no. Because there's existing sexual tension between them throughout the book? None that has been mentioned. Because the gay character is promiscuous or has a large appetite for sex? Again, not that we've seen.
I can only surmise that the narrator feels that his friend, being a gay man, is predisposed to want sex from any man. Gay men are roaming the streets looking for sex and it's only a matter of time until they get you. This is perhaps a very 1992 attitude (indeed it's a 2018 attitude in many places, and there are even maps that will show you where), when there were very few flattering, honest, or even innocuous depictions of gay men to be found. I would expect a woman to be less likely to think in this way, as they are not in the perceived line of fire and can therefore be more clear-headed about it. Tartt either bought into the stereotype, or, in writing from the perspective of a straight man, chose to shed a layer of sensitivity.
Although I harp on it, the moment was fleeting, and the book has been a great read overall. I'm looking forward to the second half.
