The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve read several other reviews of this novel that had me scratching my head. They gave the novel 1/2 stars for all the reasons I love this book. The narrative perspective was unique and the characters all interesting, and to me that makes this story enjoyable to read.
Some found the writing in this novel annoying or unrealistic or whatever. I don’t even know what that means, but I found it beautiful and fun to read. The obscurity and fantasy went right along with all other aspects of this book, and I enjoyed it.
I was intrigued by the plot of Eugenides novel for awhile having heard about movie adaptation. I found my copy at a thrift store and was engaged with the story only after a few pages. The POV has been described as third person inclusive as well as first person plural in other reviews. It is an odd thing to try to categorize. I think I’d have to agree with third person inclusive; it seems like a good way to describe it, but basically, it’s first person omniscient. The neighborhood boys are our peripheral narrators, telling us as much as they know about their girls across the street. At any rate, the novel is set up like a collection of evidence in the “Lisbon case” (to continue the metaphor). The narrators obsess over their neighbors, the five lovely Lisbon sisters, and describe their sequential suicides.
The narrators obsession with the Lisbon girls is bizarre and slightly creepy. Ultimately, it didn’t bother me considering the macabre story line and the traumatizing deaths of these boys’ peers. While others find the novel’s insight on suicide less than helpful, I found myself considering many of the theories and debating their legitimacy. Psychology changes so much; it’s impossible to know why these suicides happened whether the story was real or not. It reminds me of negative capability. Not everything in story can be understood, from the boys obsession with the Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary, and Therese to the reason a these young girls would commit suicide.
There is so much going on in this novel from the theme of virginity to the town’s developmental reaction to the girls’ deaths. I highly recommend this novel.