Review by isabellemay14 - The Virgin Suicides

isabellemay14 's review for:

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

5.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really think this book is one that’s going to stick with me. Despite the very heavy themes and content, the lyrical prose coming from the Greek chorus perspective of the neighborhood boys gives you a sense of almost peaceful nostalgia. The way the boys experience the world really transports you back to the dog days of adolescence, reminiscent of coming-of-age films like The Sandlot or The Breakfast Club rather than a novel about teenage suicide. At the same time, the boy’s obsession with the Lisbon sisters reminded me of something like The Great Gatsby and the endless yearning and pursuit of a love that you cannot have and do not even really know or understand. If you go into this expecting an introspective account of the Lisbon sisters’ mental states leading up to their suicides you will be sorely disappointed, as the perspective in this book is more about how little we as outsiders can know about what’s going on in the minds of people who have reached that point and the way isolation can come from the families and communities that claim to care about and protect their children.

Content Warnings