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Book Group: Virgin Suicides Discussion Thread

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McGoohan Feb 2017 6:59pm, 3 Feb 2017 27,866 posts	0 McGoohan February's book be The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. Let's have your thoughts below, if you like. Beware, spoilers ensue. Though I'm willing to bet there will be some suicide within.
Columba Feb 2017 8:41pm, 20 Feb 2017 12,515 posts	0 Columba I enjoyed it from beginning to end (despite there being a number of Americanisms which I didn't understand). This was partly because of the wonderful metaphors with which the book is replete. They're on (nearly) every page. Opening at random: "listening to rain beading the bathroom tiles and washing away the girls' footprints" (p 48) "Two beasts lived in the car; one above, snuffling and biting him, and one below, struggling to get out of its damp cage" (p 82) "The searchlight of Ms. Perl's prose..." (p 172) The use of the first person plural protagonist didn't bother me; indeed, I thought it was very effective, being the voice(s) of a group of teenage boys, grown up and grown old, reminiscing together, speculating on the extraordinary events which they had jointly experienced. And there are no real villains; nobody is really dislikeable, and nobody is really hated by the plural protagonist; they are simply observed, and described, and wondered about, and commented on. Certainly they have shortcomings; Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon's shortcomings must surely have contributed to their daughters' suicides; yet the impression is given that everyone is caught helplessly up in currents and cross-currents which it is beyond them to control (like the Dutch elm disease, the annual plague of fish-flies). I could say more, but I'll let someone else have a go. Rather disappointed to find I'm the first one, apart from McG who simply started the thread off. Still, there's a fair bit of February left to go.
McGoohan Feb 2017 8:45pm, 20 Feb 2017 28,091 posts	0 McGoohan I'm not reading your review Columba as although the book hasn't clicked with me, I'm thinking I'll give it another try then come back here and compare my thoughts...
westmoors Feb 2017 7:27am, 21 Feb 2017 1,611 posts	0 westmoors I quite enjoyed the book. I thought I would wait a few days before commenting. However, I'm now struggling to really remember much about it. I certainly didn't notice the language that Columba mentions.
Lorraine Feb 2017 8:13am, 21 Feb 2017 1,299 posts	0 Lorraine I finished this last week and still can't bring myself to review it. Like McG I think I need or rather know I need to re read it. One of the real problems I have is that my father took his own life, so I have first hand experience on what it can do to you as a family. I will return to it at some point.
Columba Feb 2017 6:26pm, 21 Feb 2017 12,519 posts	0 Columba Oh dear, Lorraine, yes that would make a huge difference.
LindsD Feb 2017 7:47pm, 25 Feb 2017 15,564 posts	0 LindsD Finally am sitting at a PC to write my review. I can't bring myself to do it on the phone. Firstly, I'm glad that you liked it, Columba. I'm sorry if it caused you upset, Lorraine (and sorry for your loss), and I hope that McG likes it better after a hiatus. McG, I feel that we ought to like similar books, but you haven't liked any of my choices so far. Hm. I liked this. I wasn't sure what to expect. I remember there being a lot of hype at the time, and my copy says something like "A Catcher in the Rye for our times". I thought that the first person plural wasn't properly exploited. I kept expecting it to come clear, with all the talk of exhibits, etc. and for it to be explained from what sort of a vantage point the story was being told (that sentence is a bit mangled, but you know what I mean). I found that a bit unsatisfying. The story itself I loved, though. The characters were brilliant, and the way things were often just suggested. The best bit for me was the denouement - I had to read it twice. It was almost like watching ballet - I could see it all so clearly in my head, just as it was described. I also liked the way the link was made with the 'state of the world', which chimed quite well with the 'state of the world' things that are being written now. I have Middlesex by him - my sister recommended it years ago. I started it but found the central idea really hard to get on with. Maybe I'll try again. Hope some other people will be along in a bit - there have been quite a lot of votes on the poll.
northernslowcoach Feb 2017 8:16pm, 25 Feb 2017 13,592 posts	0 northernslowcoach I agree with you Linds I did enjoy the book and i had to read the 'escape' very carefully and was also seeing each scene in detail The first person plural was unusual and kept me feeling part of the group watching, quite uncomfortably at times Thanks for choosing Linds
LindsD Feb 2017 9:17pm, 25 Feb 2017 15,565 posts	0 LindsD You are very welcome And yes! Maybe that's why I could see it so well (I'm not a very visual person). We were part of the watching group. The same device as Complicity (where I felt it worked better).
McGoohan Feb 2017 9:21pm, 25 Feb 2017 28,177 posts	0 McGoohan In this case I think it's me and not the book. I just had a look at my To Read pile and didn't fancy anything. I think I'm just not in a reading frame of mind at the mo.