A review by crimsoncor
The Virgins by Pamela Erens

3.0

Fascinating construction of the novel, with an unreliable narrator who tells the story as if omniscient. What is actually true? Why should you believe his telling? And it very much captures the uncertainty and confusion of high school sexuality, especially when smothered in the pressure cooker of a boarding school (I never went to boarding school, but did plenty of sleep-away camps and yup, recognize the energy). The decision to set it in the 70s peels away all the modern stuff that has made adolescence even more fraught these days and lets the book concentrate on the relationships between the characters. Agree with the reviews that don't really like any of the characters (although I found Seung to be very sympathetic), but I don't think that detracts from the story the book is telling.