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A review by oraclereadings
The Girls by Emma Cline
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Child abuse
This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't very good either. I actually quite enjoyed some parts.
The book is so over descriptive that it's easy to get lost. It's labeled as adult fiction, but because of Evie's age and since it's in her POV, it reads as a young-adult. There's a mighty list of trigger warnings that need to be addressed before reading this book. View this spoiler for tw: Adult/Minor Relationship, Sexual Assault, Murder, Drugs, Abuse of all sorts (including child abuse), and some light gore
The Girls starts with Evie sitting in a park and she becomes fascinated with these older teenage girls and the freedom that they express. Evie is so young and impressionable that when she meets up with Suzanne, one of the girls from the park, she becomes fascinated and drawn to her. It's never outright said in the book, but Evie is gay and she becomes obsessed with Suzanne.
Evie's parents are divorced and she's just broken a friendship with a childhood friend. After a fight with her mom, she goes with Suzanne to a ranch where her "family" stays. If you don't know already, this book is very heavily based upon "The Manson Family". This book focuses more on the Family itself rather than the murders.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if it stayed focused on the past and didn't time jump to the present. Nothing really happens in the present with Evie, other than her recollecting her memories of the cult and how things could have been different.