A review by earlgaytea711
The Girls by Emma Cline

dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 One of my goals this year is to read a bit more widely which is what had me pick up The Girls by Emma Cline from Libby this month. This is definitely not a book I usually read but I enjoyed it. I do have some rather mixed feelings about it overall though.

The way characters were written in this novel was so interesting. They were flawed and yet idolized by the main character. Evie, the main character, is obsessed with how people interact and it shows in the writing. In the way Cline can weave together the broken mind space of a 14 year old dealing with a lot. 

The story itself was dark but still managed to draw me in which is not an easy feat. I’ve been listening to a podcast about Cults lately and this fit right in with my current mood considering the entire novel is about Evie’s obsession with a Manson inspired cult. I think Cline did a good job of showcasing enough of the violence and ominous moments within the cult without using those kinds of things for shock value.

I had to go on a journey with the writing itself. While I think Cline’s writing is beautiful, it is also generally not a style I like. It’s full of sentence fragments and over description of scenery. It definitely sets the tone and works for this novel but it was difficult for me to get into the story at first. I spent the entire first 40% of the book considering putting it down and listing it as DNF. I think that was partly the writing style and partly the very slow beginning. Cline spends about the first 40% setting up the premise. 

Small spoilers ahead, skip to the next  paragraph if you’d like to avoid them.
I’ve noticed people seem to have gripes about the story flipping between the past and the present. However, I found these flips helpful. They were a reminder that even if dark, Evie makes it through. But I also thought they were good at showing how that experience permanently altered her and she’ll never be able to get that back.

This read was very outside my comfort zone and I’m so glad I decided to read it. I enjoyed seeing things from Evie’s perspective and also realizing that in cults there are always people on the outskirts who’s stories don’t necessarily get told. 
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