The Little Friend

I am in the minority who actually liked this better than The Secret History. I think to enjoy the book, you have to be okay with the fact that it is less a murder mystery and more a tale about the characters, in particular the lovable, if somewhat evil at times, young heroine Harriet. The loneliness of her world was heartbreaking, the awfulness of her family was terrifying, and the symmetry between the rich and poor families in their town was quite telling. The only reason I'm giving this a 4 and not a 5 is that I did feel that some of the great aunts were superfluous, and their individual backstories only served to muddy the experience of the book, for me. Otherwise, the story was quite compelling, the environment rich, and the book was wholly engrossing. Can't wait for Tartt's next book to come out!