This is without a doubt a
fantastic book. I read it very quickly and enjoyed it immensely. It should be noted that the story is told not from one boys
point of view, but from the point of view of a group of
adolescents in the
sisters' neighborhood. It is written
collectively - instead of "I",
the narrator(s) use "we."
The story is about the five
Lisbon sisters,
Cecilia,
Lux,
Bonnie,
Mary, and
Therese. The tale opens
vividly with the youngest, Cecilia, attempting to
commit suicide by opening her veins in a bathtub. She is discovered by one of the
neighborhood boys (after an interesting explanation of his transportation into the Lisbon house using rather
unorthodox means), and thus begins the story - and quite a story it is.
The book, like so many great forms of art, is a magnificent contradiction:
Jeffrey Eugenides' writing style is wonderful; it is both
descriptive and
factual, yet also
emotional and pained. It's full of
wonder and
beauty, but also
violent and
dark. The Lisbon sisters themselves are an
enigmatic lot that most of the book is devoted to trying to
figure out. However, the effort is futile - and that's really what the book is about. The
hopeless infatuation with the
ravishing, youthful sisters that elevated them beyond being
simply human, and the
insatiable need to know them, to understand them. The attempt to
make sense of the fantasy, and in doing so looking beyond the
reality.
The Virgin Suicides is a
transcendent story. It leaves behind the boundaries of
space and time to weave a
haunting, ethereal memoir. It is the story of every boy who began to see girls in a
new light when he hit
puberty. It is the story of
memories, and how the pain of them can remain for years. More than anything, it's a story of
humanity. Like the
Lisbon girls remained in the boys'
hearts and minds for years after they were gone, this story will
stay with you long after it's over.