A review by xx_wench
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

harrowingly beautiful. this book will haunt you with its mischievous wonder and boyish charm. it is daunting and depressing and curious. i read it in a day, i could not put it down. i ultimately knew the ending, as it is told to you within the first sentence of the book, and yet, i was shocked to read it. 

from the point of view of a conglomerate of boys grown into men, we sit on the sidelines and bear witness to a cul-de-sac tragedy. if you are interested in humorous, bleak, gothic literature, read this!

the negatives i found in this book seem to suit the point of it, which is the fact that we our outsiders looking in, sexualizing these young girls in their distress, romanticizing their downfall, viewing them as depthless objects. we do not know these girls and we never will. 

here is the one and only critique i have under a spoiler:

the overall sexualization of these girls is obviously written with purpose by the author, but it is still a little overwhelming at certain points, and icks me out when i think about the book being written by a 33 year old man. the moment where lux goes to the hospital, and makes note of the doctor "falling in love with a 14 year old girl" is where we breach the line of boyish lack-of-empathy and dive into more malicious behavior. this is my only note on the book.
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