The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Wow, what a book. I definitely felt profoundly under-educated in portions, but as a whole enjoyed it. It was weird, then it got weirder, then it took a sharp left turn and got down right bizarre towards the end. Greek, drinking, murder, incest...It's a hard book to explain, and I can only say that if you like character studies, this is a good choice.

And, of course, some quotes:

"From the sound of it, had I stayed in California I might have ended up in a cult or at the very least practicing some weird dietary restriction."--Richard, P. 11

"Easy to see why the Romans, usually so tolerant of foreign religions, persecuted the Christians mercilessly--how absurd to think a common criminal had risen from the dead, how appalling that his followers celebrated him by drinking his blood....Pragmatists are often strangely superstitious. For all their logic, who lived in more abject terror of the supernatural than the Romans?"--Julian, P. 41

"I was drinking Kamikazes that night. Something terrible always happens to me when I drink Kamikazes. I wreck my car, I get into fights..." Judy, P. 48

"What you need is an ice-cream float."
"You and your ice-cream floats."
"They work, I tell you. It's very scientific. Cold things are good for nausea and--"
"You're always saying that, Charles, but I just don't think it's true."
"Would you just listen to me for a second? The ice cream slows your digestion. The Coke settles your stomach and the caffeine cures your headache. Sugar gives you energy. And besides, it makes you metabolize the alcohol faster. It's the perfect food."--Francis and Charles, P. 95-6

"There was a life-or-death attempt being made near my table by a couple of Neanderthals looking to collect money for a beer blast in the sculpture studio."--Richard, P. 146

"Well, whatever one thinks of the Roman Church, it is a worthy and powerful foe. I could accept that sort of conversion with grace. But I shall be very disappointed indeed if we lose him to the Presbyterians."--Julian, P. 242

"Whatever else one says about guild, it certainly lends on diabolical powers of invention; and I spent two or three of the worst nights I had, then or ever, lying awake drunk with a horrible taste of tequila in my mouth and worry about clothing filaments, fingerprints, strands of hair."--Richard, P. 382

"I managed to get out of taking my French exam the next week, due to the very excellent excuse of having a gunshot wound to the stomach."--Richard, P. 543

"Then he had a job playing piano in a bar--which, as you can imagine, didn't work out so well."--Camilla, P. 552