Scan barcode
A review by hhamlet
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
4.0
The Virgin Suicides is unlike any story I've ever read. Perhaps what's so different about it is the choice of narration--though the story is told by a group of men reflecting on when they were boys who took it upon themselves to become teenage sleuths, so to speak, the story revolves around a group of girls. Most specifically, the Lisbon sisters. The boys' infatuation with them can clearly be seen through the language Eugenides uses and the manner in which the boys are said to speak of and act around the girls. It's almost as though they hold some sort of magical spell over these group of boys. It's refreshing, breath-taking, and in a sense, a little disturbing.
The book in itself is rather twisted, when you think about it. Right from the beginning, the narrators reveal to you that by the end of their story, all five of the Lisbon daughters will have committed suicide. And yet, even though you know what's coming, there's still the added suspense of wondering which page it will occur on, how it will be executed, etc. etc. And in that, The Virgin Suicides wasn't disappointing in the slightest; after Cecilia's death, I hadn't expected the other girls to kill themselves in the manner that they did. It was shocking, to say the least.
The Virgin Suicides presents itself as a book that poses many questions and fails to answer the vast majority of them. It's assumed that even the men themselves don't understand everything about the Lisbon girls, so a lot of it is left up to the interpretation of the reader. Why did the Lisbon girls kill themselves? Did Cecilia really die because she was an outcast? Did the other four follow suit as a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Personally, I think it had to do with the family--Mrs. Lisbon in particular was an extremely infuriating character. But then again, that's just my interpretation. Either way, this book was a fantastic read, and I'm glad I took the time to go through it.
The book in itself is rather twisted, when you think about it. Right from the beginning, the narrators reveal to you that by the end of their story, all five of the Lisbon daughters will have committed suicide. And yet, even though you know what's coming, there's still the added suspense of wondering which page it will occur on, how it will be executed, etc. etc. And in that, The Virgin Suicides wasn't disappointing in the slightest; after Cecilia's death, I hadn't expected the other girls to kill themselves in the manner that they did. It was shocking, to say the least.
The Virgin Suicides presents itself as a book that poses many questions and fails to answer the vast majority of them. It's assumed that even the men themselves don't understand everything about the Lisbon girls, so a lot of it is left up to the interpretation of the reader. Why did the Lisbon girls kill themselves? Did Cecilia really die because she was an outcast? Did the other four follow suit as a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Personally, I think it had to do with the family--Mrs. Lisbon in particular was an extremely infuriating character. But then again, that's just my interpretation. Either way, this book was a fantastic read, and I'm glad I took the time to go through it.