Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Published: 2005 (Originally 1993)
Publisher: Warner Books
Number of Pages: 249
My Rating: 4
Summary from GoodReads.com:
The
haunting, humorous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing
Lisbon sisters, The Virgin Suicides, now a major film, is Jeffrey
Eugenides' classic debut novel.
The
shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their
mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on,
their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who
worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere
draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters'
breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy
street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives
disappear.
I like to
describe this book as a hauntingly beautiful story that you will never be able
to forget. I give this one a warning, as it is about very dark subject matter
(it's titled The Virgin Suicides,I would have hoped you deduced that on
your own) but it's a unique coming-of-age story that I have re-read many times
over the years simply due to the voice that the author writes in.
Jeffrey Eugenides writes in an extremely dry, matter-of-fact way about a family
that is totally opposite from matter-of-fact. But don't be fooled when I say
'dry', his writing is impressive and I am constantly making notes in my book
about passages that jump out at me. Simply amazing.
The story is
told from the point of view of the neighbor boys about the Lisbon girls, and
they are obsessed with them. The boys are looking back on their fixation
with the girls when they were all young, and are reflecting on what happened
and if things could have turned out any differently.
The Lisbons
are a very conservative family that have five daughters: Cecilia, Lux, Mary,
Bonnie, and Therese. These girls are gorgeous, unattainable, and mysterious,
which makes the neighbor boys that much more fascinated by them.
They constantly try to talk to them at school, or at the rare social
events the girls are allowed, and secretly communicate with them when the
girls are pulled out of school and can't leave the house.
Their
obsession grows at this point as they begin collecting items of the girls and
trying to figure them out. They want to know everything they can about them and
find ways to help them. Their efforts are wasted, however, as the girls have
other plans.
The biggest
thing I appreciated about this book, while eerie, was how real everything
seemed. The voice of the narrator, the memories, the thoughts about the girls,
the events, everything felt like it could have actually happened to a community
as those would be things you would talk about for years and never be
able to forget. The book not only addresses suicide and death, but also shows
how that can affect individuals as well as an entire community. The Lisbons,
and what they go through, follow these boys into adulthood and affect them in
ways they may not notice. But they do know one thing- they will never be able
to let go of those girls.
This book
has haunted me ever since I read it many years ago, but it is one I find myself
reading over and over again, still in awe of the writing and story. This book
may not be happy. This book may not have the best subject matter. But this book
is definitely a must read.
-Busy Brunette