The Virgin Suicides

Jeffrey Eugenides

Genre

Recommended By

Book Synopsis

"The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides is a haunting and atmospheric novel that tells the story of the Lisbon sisters, five beautiful and enigmatic teenage girls who captivate the entire neighborhood with their mysterious allure. Set in 1970s suburban Michigan, the book unfolds through the eyes of a group of boys who are obsessed with the sisters and try to understand the tragic events that lead to their untimely deaths.

As the story progresses, the sisters' oppressive and overprotective parents isolate them from the outside world, exacerbating their sense of desperate longing for freedom. Their lives are further cloaked in secrecy and tragedy when the youngest sister, Cecilia, attempts suicide, sparking a chain reaction that will forever change the lives of those around them.

The boys chronicle their observations, collecting snippets of information and assembling an image of the sisters that is both seductive and elusive. They are captivated by the sisters' beauty, mystique, and the sense of unattainability that surrounds them. Yet, despite their relentless attempts to connect with the girls, the boys remain on the periphery, filled with a mix of desire, fascination, and frustration.

Through his evocative prose, Eugenides explores themes of adolescence, desire, obsession, and the blurred line between reality and imagination. He crafts a narrative that is both melancholic and deeply affecting, delving into the complexities of human connection and the weight of unfulfilled desires. "The Virgin Suicides" is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition, leaving readers haunted and questioning the fragility of life itself.

Explore More Books

See All
Radical Uncertainty
Information
It's Earnings That Count
Entangled Life
The Signal and the Noise
Nothing To Lose
The 80/20 Principle
Think Like a Rocket Scientist
A Matter of Degrees
Writing My Wrongs
Mindfulness in Plain English
The Power of Broke
Call of the Reed Warbler
The Forgotten Man
World Order
Startups
Anthropic Bias
P53
Energy And Civilization
Why We Sleep
The Golden Compass
Sexual Personae
Smart People Should Build Things
The Trap
Saving Capitalism from Short Termism
Fahrenheit 451
A Woman Makes a Plan
Models. Behaving. Badly.
The Death of the Artist
Chasing Hillary
How To Talk to Anyone
Strength In Stillness
Grit
Ford vs. Ferrari
Public Opinion
Lean Thinking
Dopamine Detox
Intellectuals and Society
The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
Tools of Titans
The Dragons of Eden
Defend The Border and Save Lives
How Google Works
Out of the Crisis
Poor Charlie's Almanack
The Third Chimpanzee
Pippi Longstocking
The Power of Relentless
The Billionaire Shell Game
A Whole New Mind
The Inflamed Mind
Old Man and the Sea
Bad News
Being Aware of Being Aware
The Blind Watchmaker
United States of Socialism
Moonwalking with Einstein
Fallen Dragon
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
On The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
Out of Mao's Shadow
Adaptive Markets
The Vision of the Annointed
Fertility Pastures
The Act of Creation
Central Banking 101
River Out of Eden
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
A Story Lately Told
The Boys Vol. 1
The Discovery of France
The Wisdom of Life
Work Hard. Be Nice.
Dog Man
Talent
Frames of Mind
The Book of Five Rings
Architects of the Web
The Second World War
The Grapes of Wrath
Bitcoin and Black America
Americana
Defender In Chief
Under Saturn's Shadow
Who
The Master and Margarita
Platform Revolution
The Making of Europe
Globalizing Capital
The Viral Storm
Planta Sapiens
Experimental Man
In Praise of Slowness
An Inconvenient Truth
Mohandas K. Ghandi
The Rise of the Rest
Can't Hurt Me
The City In History
The Survivor
Washington