Center for Teaching & Learning

“On the morning the last Lisbon daughter took her turn at suicide— it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese— the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing exactly where the knife drawer was, and the gas oven, and the beam in the basement from which it was possible to tie a rope.” 

This opens The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, where the five Lisbon girls commit suicide one by one, as their lives are watched by the neighborhood boys. The boys attempt to piece together why the Lisbon girls took their own lives, but the book is not a mystery. It is an exploration of romance, death, life, and memory, as well as a timeless classic readers will love as they are entranced by a story, left wanting more. 

Eugenides employs countless tactics to hook the reader, but one he excels at is his mastery of language. He uses simple words that pack a punch, as well as lyrical metaphors, to make this story read like poetry. Without Eugenides’ wordsmithing, The Virgin Suicides’ readers would lose interest, as the novel lacks a formal structure. In the end, Eugenides’ talents pull the reader into the dreamy tale, capturing them in the space between lines. 

The book is told in a first-person collective, narrated by the neighborhood boys, now in their thirties. They recall the events of one year, adding an interesting subjectivity to the writing, which forces the reader to wonder how the story actually played out. The boys see the Lisbon girls as otherworldly and beautiful, and as the narrator, their bias is prominent and emphasizes a major theme: how people’s perspectives are unreliable. Eugenides does not shove this theme in the reader’s faces whenever he can, as some writers might do. Instead, the theme lurks in the background, never quite jumping out, but allowing the reader enough glimpses to see what it really is. 

Eugenides uses poetic language, a unique narrative, and a strong theme effectively, so as not to distract from his compelling novel. You will be captivated by this tale of memory, love, life, and death. 

Ori

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 250 pages