The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

This nationally best-selling novel from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffrey Eugenides was adapted into an acclaimed film by Academy Award-winner Sofia Coppola. A haunting yet wickedly funny tale, The Virgin Suicides has captivated countless readers with its intoxicating portrait of lost innocence. A brilliant fusion of dark humor and tragedy, it is an atmospheric, allegorical masterpiece about five oppressed, suicidal sisters and the boys who dream of rescuing them.

My Review:

First off, let me start by saying . . .



I have never given a review a 1 star, but there were many times that I almost placed this on the DNF shelf. The only thing that got me through this driveling nonsense was that I listened to it as an audiobook, and the narrator wasn't bad. Too bad Nick Landrum couldn't save this convoluted story from drowning.



I saw the movie many years ago and I don't remember it being this horrible. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have attempted this read/listen if I had disliked it so.

My first issue with this story was that I was confused by the narrator, this we shit had me continually guessing which of the super-freakishly obsessed neighbor boys was talking. Even if it was just one boy out of the group talking, it seemed to jump around between them all. These boys were just so creepy, always spying on the girls, collecting items for their collection, trying to piece together their lives even years after their deaths. Had I noticed anyone like that around as a child or an adult, those boys would be dealt with.



My second issue was the writing itself. If Jeffrey Eugenides was attempting to meet the quota on word count for a professor, he succeed. Otherwise, there was absolutely no reason to go into so much abstract descriptions and metaphors. This was just frustrating and tended to make the book feel like it was never going to end.



On a more serious note, and I'm not sure how to say what I want to say without sticking my foot in my mouth, but I'm going to try. Suicide is a very serious problem. It should never be taken lightly, and as this book shows, it shouldn't be written off, justified, or exploited. Aside from these girls suicide, I did find their behavior rather strange and at many points annoying, but that doesn't mean they needed to die. That also doesn't mean that anyone with that type of behavior has suicide tendencies. We just need to be vigilant to other peoples needs and ask for help if need be, whether you know someone contemplating suicide or are thinking of it yourself. There are many avenues to seek help (see below).

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1 (800) 273-8255
Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
Languages: English, Spanish

Overall, I want to say that just because Mr. Eugenides is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, doesn't make his storytelling or writing style everyone's cup of tea. So please don't read this book for that reason alone. If you are interested in reading this, please don't let my review stop you, I just want to make sure you are making that decision for yourself.

P.S. I know it's not fair to compare this to a movie I saw a long time ago, but I just couldn't help it.

Favorite Quotes:

“In the end, it wasn't death that surprised her but the stubbornness of life.”

“We couldn't imagine the emptiness of a creature who put a razor to her wrists and opened her veins, the emptiness and the calm.”

“Capitalism has resulted in material well-being but spiritual bankruptcy.”

“All wisdom ends in paradox.”

Read from July 16 to 24, 2015

Top 5 Genres*: Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Novels, Literature
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

View all my reviews