The Virgin Suicides (Audiobook)

Synopsis: The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.

Review: A very melancholy and haunting tale told from the viewpoint of the boys who are infatuated with the five Lisbon sisters who had all committed suicide. The boys are all grown men now, but they are still mulling over the facts of the case, still interviewing the people connected, still wondering and coming to terms and trying to find reasons why these idolised girls would take their own lives.

It all began when the youngest Lisbon girl, Cecilia, then only thirteen, plunged to her death, at a party given in her honour at the family home. The boys were attending the party and therefore bore witness to the tragedy. The girls were already objects of interest to the boys and to the neighbourhood at large but after Cecilia's suicide, the Lisbon house and family become the target of neighbourhood gossip and speculation. The boys especially are fascinated, they collect snippets of information and any pieces of Lisbon flotsam and jetsam they can find or acquire. It's such an accurate portrayal of teenage infatuation and the often ridiculous lengths that the lovestruck will go to to glean any small detail about the object/s of their desire.

The Lisbon house gradually falls into a state of complete disrepair and decay. The grief stricken parents who were never exactly liberal in their parenting endeavour to keep a tighter rein on the girls, supressing and suffocating them in their attempts to keep them safe. After Mr Lisbon loses his job as a local schoolteacher, they become reclusive and are rarely seen. A smell begins to emanate from the house as it and the family slowly deteriorates. The boys remain captivated, they study the girls, stalking them almost, spying on the house and fingering their Lisbon treasures. Although their fascination is both creepy and macabre, Jeffrey Eugenides wonderful prose prevents it from becoming too sinister and the boys hapless and hopeless adoration is often scattered with humour.

From the outset you are aware that the remaining girls Therese (17), Mary (16), Bonnie (15) and Lux (14) will eventually follow in their sister's fatal footsteps and so the novel has that slow build of tension where you're expecting to lose another of the girls with every turn of the page, the author exploits this to the maximum. Though the girls were never exactly what you might call gregarious, they were, despite all their quirks and traits, fairly normal vibrant girls, with hopes and dreams and favourite lipstick colours and it's heart-rending to watch them diminish into mere ghosts of girls.

The boys realising that things are perhaps spiralling out of control try to reach out to the girls, they attempt to telephone the house and are successful in reaching them. They play each other records down the phone which they hope will provide comfort and inspiration (though to be honest the records which included Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen' and Carole Kings's 'So Far Away' would make anybody's list of top ten most melancholy songs ever) .. the most touching song of all beloved by the Lisbon girls is (another candidate for the list) Gilbert O' Sullivans 'Alone Again (Naturally)' and this touched me more than anything because it seemed to sum up perfectly their quiet, resigned despair.

One night, at the girls request, the boys creep into the Lisbon house to help them escape. They have obtained keys to a car and they intend to drive the girls to wherever they want to go whilst listening to their favourite soundtrack on cassette. The Lisbon girls have other plans though and the boys dreams come crashing down.

'So much has been said about the girls over the years. But we have never found an answer. It didn't matter in the end how old they had been, or that they were girls... but only that we had loved them... and that they hadn't heard us calling... still do not hear us calling them from out of those rooms... where they went to be alone for all time... and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together'.

Quite a depressing read (or listen), I didn't love it as much as 'Middlesex' though it is exquisitely written and is a totally compelling and unforgettable read. I thought the narration by Nick Landrum was excellent.