The BookTok Effect: Why is The Secret History still so popular?

One of the most talked-about books on TikTok is Donna Tartt's The Secret History. More than 30 years after its publication, it remains a novel that continues to attract readers and spark debate. Not to mention attracting a new generation of readers. 

It’s a campus novel, a murder mystery, a character study, and a cult classic all in one — and it’s particularly resonant for a generation obsessed with aesthetics, identity, and the allure of darkness.

So what makes The Secret History so enduring?

If you liked The Secret History, you’ll love these five dark, literary campus novels

If you’re anything like me, finishing The Secret History leaves a strange kind of void. Donna Tartt’s literary debut is one of those once-in-a-decade novels: intellectually rich, psychologically intense, and impossible to put down. 

It’s a story steeped in atmosphere, with characters who linger in your mind and a setting that feels like it exists outside of time. If you’re looking for books matching that experience, I’ve rounded up five novels that channel similar dark academia energy, moral complexity, and obsession-fuelled tension.

The art of the campus novel – what makes them work, and which are the best?

Writing about Donna Tartt last week and The Secret History got me thinking about the campus novel.  

I’ve always been fascinated by this sub-literary genre, from what makes it work to why it continues to captivate readers and how it manages to be both intensely specific and universally resonant. 

The best campus novels transport us to a world of intellectual ambition, youthful recklessness, and, often, profound disillusionment. They capture a moment in life where identity, relationships, and ambition collide.

But what exactly makes a great campus novel, and which books best define the ever-growing genre? 

Crafting the perfect opening lines of a novel

Do you need a killer opening line for your novel? Or is there an alternative way to draw readers in right from the start? 

I'm slightly obsessed by the opening lines of novels, and for me, the opening line isn’t merely about crafting a flashy hook; it’s about setting the tone, sparking curiosity, and providing readers with a reason to keep turning the pages. A brilliant first sentence generates intrigue and anticipation, drawing the audience into your story before they even realise it.

Whatever happened to Donna Tartt?

I found a box of books in the attic yesterday, and a signed copy of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch was buried there. I added it to the bookshelf alongside a signed copy of The Little Friend.

I’m a massive fan of Donna Tartt, particularly (like many people) The Secret History, which I wrote about recently. It got me thinking—whatever happened to Donna Tartt?

It has been more than a decade since Tartt published her last novel, The Goldfinch (2013), which won the Pulitzer Prize and cemented her status as one of the most celebrated literary figures of our time. But since then? Silence.

Tartt has never been a prolific writer. She famously takes a decade (or more) between books, crafting intricate, deeply atmospheric novels that become instant modern classics. The Secret History (1992) and The Little Friend (2002) were each published with long gaps in between, setting a pattern of meticulous, slow-burn literary output. But now, more than ten years have passed since The Goldfinch, and there’s no official word on what comes next.

So, where is Donna Tartt? And why is the wait for her next novel taking even longer this time?