Review by jmackz96 - The Virgin Suicides

jmackz96 's review for:

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

By the title, you know this'll be a sad book. You immediately know that all the sisters die, in what order, and how. Despite knowing the details, you are still left wondering about the reasons, the motivations, and really, you never find out, just like in real life. The story is told from the the male gaze, the collective point of view of the male peers that fantasize over the Lisbon sisters. I think having this story written in this way is extremely poignant if you can recognize it. The book highlights so many issues such as the over-sexualization of female adolescents, the dismissal of their mental health because of "hormones," overbearing parenting, the straddling of adulthood and childhood (expected to act like an adult but treated like a child), and much more.

From a goodreads review, "This is a book about what it feels like to be a teenage girl through the lens of a group of boys who don't get it, don't want to, don't care. It's a book about all the sh*t that boys get away with and all the sh*t girls go through from the perspective of the boys who don't realize either thing. It's from the perspective of the boys because the author is trusting you to see through it."

If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone <3
National suicide hotline: 988 and https://988lifeline.org/

Content Warnings