Richard Papen is a young man from a modest background studying literature, with a gift for classical languages. He finds himself in the small Hampden College, where he joins the classes of the enigmatic classics professor, Julian Morrow. The class comprise a small clique of well-heeled students who are devoted to him.
The classes seem interesting, but Richard notices that the other students are very odd. They frequently have minor injuries and bruises, and often boil unusual plants on a stove. Over the winter break, they all leave the college. Two of them, Henry and Bunny, go on a holiday to Rome. In the new year, Richard notices that the relationship between Bunny and the other students is very strained, with Bunny constantly picking on and insulting the others. Henry reveals the reason to Richard; the group have been enacting a Dionysian Bacchanal at a country estate. During one of these Bacchanals, they have killed a farmer at a neighbouring estate. Bunny has discovered this, and is blackmailing the others for substantial amounts of money. When the demands spiral out of control, the group resolves to murder Bunny. While on a hike, Henry pushes him into a ravine, to his death.
They return to their lives after this, even joining the search team for Bunny, and going to his funeral. But their actions cause them to fall apart, resorting to pills, alcohol, violence, abuse. Julian discovers the full nature of their actions, but instead of handling it, he runs away mid-term. Things come to a head when one of them is arrested for drunk driving, leading the whole group to a confrontation in a hotel room, with a loaded gun in the midst.
The book is brilliantly written, interwoven with several quotes and references to Greek classics, and a discussion on the nature of beauty and evil. Richard is from a working-class background, and looks up to his more affluent classmates, only to be disillusioned by their heinous acts and moral corruption. There is an article in The Guardian which captures it best; ten reasons to love this book:
- It start with a murder
- It is in love with Ancient Greece
- It has all the best elements of the campus novel
- It has a classic lonely narrator
- It is full of quotations
- It has a charismatic master of ceremonies
- It is obsessed with beauty
- It believes in fate
- It is possessed by Dionysos
- It lets you in on secrets
An excellent read which leaves you wanting more.