Edited sentence: Alas, VCAA controversially continue to keep "The Secret River" on the English syllabus, despite the complaints of students who want to spend their final year of high school studying a book that doesn't suck.However, many students make the conscience decision not to read The Secret River" as they are aware of the pain that is endured by the majority of people who have read it and decide that their mental health is of greater importance than good marks in English.Others attempt to read it, but fail to overcome the bland narrative.Students who openly enjoy the book are often subject to extreme ostracization amongst peers.This book is highly disliked by students who are required to study it