The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

WEEKEND READS BY CHERIE COOPER

BOOK REVIEW

Some passages of writing stay with you because they are so beautiful. And others stay with you because they’re so simple…but SO effective.

Jeffrey Eugenides’ book The Virgin Suicides is an incredible peice of work but the sentence that has stuck with me (and pops into my head all the time) is the following:

“He sat in his car, gazing at the house, watching as downstairs lights traded places with those upstairs, and then, one by one, went out.”

It’s so simple – but so BRILLIANT, right? I truly think of it every time I see house lights switch on or off at night.

The Virgin Suicides is a gorgeous, nostagia-soaked dream. It’s provocative, moving, and contains a compelling, frustrating mystery at its heart.

It’s the story of the Lisbon sisters, Cecilia, Bonnie, Lux, Mary, and Therese.

The girls draft through their neighbourhood and school halls like glowing blonde visions. Closely guarded by their religious parents, the neighbourhood boys regard the sisters as fascinating but untouchable.

After the school hunk manages to get a date with 14-year-old Lux (easily finding dates for her sisters so the siblings can attend prom as a group as per their parents’ instructions) things start to go terribly wrong. The sisters are pulled out of school and the boys watch, helpless, as they slowly fade from their lives – until both sides join together to come up with a daring escape plan.

Eugenides captures the heartbreak and confusion of adolescence in a way that’s both poetic and playful. His writing is lush, full of emotion, and tinged with a subtle eroticism.

Sofia Coppola’s gorgeous adaptation of The Virgin Suicides is so rich in mood and music – this novel is a fantastic candidate for film, and Coppola perfectly evokes the soul of the novel.

Check out both book and film – I can promise you will love the equally fantastic soundtrack, which blends 70s rock and pop with moody, melting tunes created especially for the movie.

Cherie Cooper

Cherie lives, works, and reads in beautiful Tasmania – the green island gem below Australia known for its gorgeous landscape and beautiful wildlife. She holds multiple academic qualifications in English, journalism, and fine art theory, and has worked in writing, editing, and communications roles for more than a decade. Most importantly, she has a deep love for books that began as soon as she learned how to read.

Old, new, any genre – for Cherie, reading is about as vital as breathing. She is interested in sharing books that move, excite, and compel, so others can share the joy of a truly great read. While she reads across most genres, her favourite is literary fiction. Particularly anything by Margaret Atwood, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler.

Cherie frequents Tasmania’s beautiful boutique book shops as well as scouring secondhand shops for books to add to her extensive home library. Catch up with her on LinkedIn and on Instagram.