Donna Tartt's The Secret History. A friend across the pond sent me Tartt's The Little Friend for Christmas last year, and by Spring of '09 I had finally gotten around to starting it (I was likely in one of those YA-or-die moods for a few months, I suspect). Well, I was obsessed with it.

But then everyone told me how The Secret History is so much better than The Little Friend, which I found completely improbable, so now here I am, a year later, testing my hypothesis.

Conclusion: I die when I pick up this book, and I die when I have to put it down.

And I am barely halfway through.

Note: I tried in vain to link to Tartt's web site - surely she must have one! - but alas, she doesn't seem to. Another web site refers to her as "vaguely reclusive." Someday, I might like to be known as "vaguely reclusive."

Note #2: I DIDN'T KNOW the college she created in The Secret History was modeled on Bennington!! This opens up a whole new world of understanding for me.

Note #3: Hollywood's been trying to make a movie of The Secret History for years! Gwyneth Paltrow would be a producer/star! (Who, Camilla, I suppose? Or Judy Poovey? LOL.)

Note #4: I'm going to keep adding notes because I knew nothing about Tartt and now I'm researching her and I can't stop and please someone help I may be becoming obsessive.