Something long with lush prose; focusing on character development; lots of references to art, architecture, philosophy and the like; somewhat ‘snobbish’ characters; something that feels ‘profound’ through and through even when describing minuscule situations.
I’ve seen the secret history being recommended here a lot and read a lot of novels that have been recommended as similar but never quite found something that has the same vibe to it.
The only books that I can think of that I’ve read, loved and that also fit the type of novel I’m looking for are The Picture of Dorian Gray and A Little Life.
I’m having a hard time describing what I’m looking for but if you’ve read and loved these four books, please recommend me something similar. Thanks!
Edit: Thank you all for your great suggestions! I added a ton of books to my reading list and I’ve ordered Bunny by Mona Awad for my next read!
For everyone coming to this post looking for books with a similar vibe, here are some that have been mentioned and which I’ve already read and enjoyed:
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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (this is the book I would’ve recommended if someone else had made this post, absolutely lovely!)
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
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Norwegian Wood by Murakami (not exactly the same vibe, more lighthearted, but still a lovely book)
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Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (I’ve actually seen this recommended here before as dark academia, I can see why it’s mentioned here but I didn’t really enjoy it tbh. It does have the same sort of vibe to it but it feels more like a YA fantasy novel to me)
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If We Were Villains by ML Rio (If you’re looking for something similar to The Secret History this is probably as close as it gets story wise. Nice read but I couldn’t help but feel that this book took a bit too much inspiration from TSH)
