Scan barcode
A review by charlott_reads_books
The Girls by Emma Cline
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a very strange gruesome book about girlhood, cults, isolation, greed, the need to be validated.
The prose is very purple indeed, but since Im basically CEO of the purple prose Fan Club, I found this to be so so beautifully written.
The main character, Evie, is going through a lot: her parents divorce, the end of middle school, being a teenager. I saw so much of my teenage self in her- especially in her loneliness and desperate want for validation.
She is such a vulnerable main character and we get to see how that vulnerability is exploited. This causes some very uncomfortable scenes (big TW for SA), still i felt so utterly captivated by the story.
Then theres the exploration of what it means to be a (young) woman too: how society sets you up to abuse, to desire male validation and attention above all else. How men look down on women; how this seemingly doesnt change.
It filled me with rage, but also felt so so real.
The narration further underlined this, as we switch back and fourth between current day Evie and 14 y/o Evie. We can see how society barely changed. This narration also shows how the events effected Evie and ultimately changed the trajectory of her life.
And of course at the core of the novel theres the bloody, morbid murder of the cult and her play in it. Ive always been incredibly fascinated with cults and their pull, their cruelty and their extremes, so i tremendously enjoyed reading about all of that too.
To sum it up, I loved loved loved this book. I am so glad to have finally found a new 5 Star read (this was only the fourth book i raten 5 stars out of 68 books ive read this year). This was simply great. Shoutout to Lady Dakota for the recommondation.
The prose is very purple indeed, but since Im basically CEO of the purple prose Fan Club, I found this to be so so beautifully written.
The main character, Evie, is going through a lot: her parents divorce, the end of middle school, being a teenager. I saw so much of my teenage self in her- especially in her loneliness and desperate want for validation.
She is such a vulnerable main character and we get to see how that vulnerability is exploited. This causes some very uncomfortable scenes (big TW for SA), still i felt so utterly captivated by the story.
Then theres the exploration of what it means to be a (young) woman too: how society sets you up to abuse, to desire male validation and attention above all else. How men look down on women; how this seemingly doesnt change.
It filled me with rage, but also felt so so real.
The narration further underlined this, as we switch back and fourth between current day Evie and 14 y/o Evie. We can see how society barely changed. This narration also shows how the events effected Evie and ultimately changed the trajectory of her life.
And of course at the core of the novel theres the bloody, morbid murder of the cult and her play in it. Ive always been incredibly fascinated with cults and their pull, their cruelty and their extremes, so i tremendously enjoyed reading about all of that too.
To sum it up, I loved loved loved this book. I am so glad to have finally found a new 5 Star read (this was only the fourth book i raten 5 stars out of 68 books ive read this year). This was simply great. Shoutout to Lady Dakota for the recommondation.