Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Vintage Tuesdays: The Mystery of Death

The Virgin Suicides


Written by: Jeffrey Eugenides

Released: 1993 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC



Summary: This beautiful and sad first novel, recently adapted for a major motion picture, tells of a band of teenage sleuths who piece together the story of a twenty-year-old family tragedy begun by the youngest daughter’s spectacular demise by self-defenestration, which inaugurates “the year of the suicides”.



I remember watching this movie around the time that it first came out and thinking that it was way too mature for me to watch. Still, it didn’t stop me.

Then, later on in university, my friend informed me that it was a novel first, which led me to Chapters and resulted in the buying of it. Then I read it and fell in love. In fact, I think that my roommate walked in on me crying over this book on a few occasions…

The writing in this novel speaks for itself; it’s poignant and heart-wrenching and completely phenomenal. It’s definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone over the age of 15 – the subject matter is a little too much for anyone younger unless they’re really mature for their age.

If you’re looking for a read that is going to stick with you for a while after you’re done reading it, this is the book for you. I give it a solid 10/10.

1 comment:

Tammy (The Book Fairy's Haven) said...

I loved, loved, loved this book. Admittedly it's been years since I've read this book, but this blast from the past is definitely going to have me on the look out for this book again!