TheKaitlynBlog

Jeffrey Eugenides

★ ★ ★ ★

As I enjoyed this book, I have not a clue on how to review it or describe it. A review I came across however, does.

“This is an usual story. Good, but dark and full of nooks and crannies for skeletons and other vermin to hide. It is hard to say I enjoyed a story like this – it would be like saying I enjoyed a car wreck; intriguing, but lots of people and property damaged in the process. The setting: a neighborhood, the houses, the tree house, the school, the descriptions of buildings, the importance of location; certain windows serving as stages into the performance of people’s lives. The symbolism: as the story deteriorates so does the structure and people; buildings decay, people become more unstable, every element spiraling into gloomy miasma as it moves towards the ultimate sad climax. The boys: serving as narrators, coming of age, looking into other people’s lives, trying to figure out the harsh realities of life while wrapped in the innocence of youth.” – Matthew

The Virgin Suicides is an overall dark and disturbing read, but something that can be enjoyed in the right mindset and intellectual approach.