Author(s): Jeffrey Eugenides

Fiction | Vijeta's Book Talkers

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come.

That girl didn't want to die. She just wanted out of that house. She wanted out of that decorating scheme.

The five Lisbon sisters - beautiful, eccentric and, now, gone -had always been a point of obsession for the entire neighbourhood.

Although the boys that once loved them from afar have grown up, they remain determined to understand a tragedy that has defied explanation. The question persists - why did all five of the Lisbon girls take their own lives?

This lyrical and timless tale of sex and suicide that transforms and mythologizes suburban middle-American life announced the arrival of one of the greatest American novelists of the last thirty years.

'A flare from my own secret world, all the inchoate longings and obsessions of being a teenager somehow rendered into book form' Emma Cline, author of The Girls

CONSTANT READER STAFF REVIEW: VIJETA

I am sometimes confused about my attachment to this book, because if you asked me point-blank what it was about, I'm not sure I could give you a straightforward answer. That won't stop me from trying though. 

We follow the enigmatic and beautiful Lisbon girls, through the wandering eyes of the neighbourhood boys. They are fascinated by these girls, who are kept under the watchful eye of their strict, religious parents. One day, they are simply gone - lives taken at their own hands. Why is this so? In order to understand this, Eugenides employs the Greek chorus method of narration, which is wildly effective at situating the reader in the thick of this sticky suburban drama. The mystery about these girls is a hard one to pinpoint; Eugenides excels most in what is unspoken.

At its core, it is Eugenides' gorgeous, lyrical writing which brings the otherwise mundane events of this story to life. I felt enveloped in this world, like I was given a secret VIP pass to the happenings of this mysterious little town and their inhabitants. This is a perfect read for those who appreciate the art of storytelling, and what it takes to craft a masterful story in few words. Also recommended: watching Sofia Coppola's masterpiece of an adaptation afterwards.