Reviews with content warning for Self harm - The Girls

More than the story of a girl becoming involved in a cult, this book is all about girlhood, growing up and growing into your own skin. Evie is a helpless girl that thrives off of male attention, validation and feeling accepted by the people around her. Russel's cult is a representation of this commonly feminine trait — he is able to use his charisma and air of acceptance to bring in naive women that want the same thing as Evie. He accepts them for who they are, gives the attention that they so desire and makes them feel special. The cult is much less a physical thing and more of a metaphor for this traditionally feminine idea, how young girls are desperately in search of a home where their flaws are considered beautiful, where their spirit can be free and where men are there to guide them and treat them like they are princesses. But, this cult of society has a dark after-effect — this validation only lasts for a small period of time and can results in violent, deadly and disturbing consequences.

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annasophie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

3.25 - I liked the writing itself more than the story. I actually marked many phrases and passages because they stuck out to me, and I’m excited to explore more of Cline’s work. The setting was what drew me to the novel originally; there’s just something about 20th Century southern California, no matter the exact decade, that fascinates me. Truly one of my favorite geographical settings for stories, especially since I cannot think of one happy, non-depressing, non-messed up story set in Cali off the top of my hat. Somehow the Californian atmosphere just demands gloomy stories that palpably feel like inhaling the dark, heavy smog on a hot day in LA.
The idea of taking the Manson Family and the infamous murder of Sharon Tate as starting point was also incredibly intriguing to me but I just couldn’t fully get into the plot. I guess I’m just not big on the pairing of little girls, drugs, sex, abuse and manipulation, even in a story that’s as intriguing as the Manson Family. I love the exploration of dark psychology, trauma, and all things, except when it involves underage girls. Maybe it’s because I watched the movie 13 when I was way too young and now I’m just over those stories. It’s a good book, it’s very well written, but it just wasn’t for me.

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