The narrators, a mysterious chorus of boys who grew up with them and are now grown men, are haunted by the Lisbon affair even now. The Virgin Suicides, Eugenides’ first novel, focuses on the Lisbon girls, five teenage sisters who killed themselves within a year of each other in the 1970s–Cecilia, Lux, Bonnie, Mary, and Therese. I barely took notes while reading The Virgin Suicides. Eugenides is one of the few authors I would read solely for their writing style. I only wish Eugenides wrote more novels, but I can see why he hasn’t–both of his novels, while they feel effortless, are obviously the result of a great deal of work. Middlesex, which I adored, was able to combine its fascinating plot with marvelous details and astonishing imagery. For me, Jeffrey Eugenides’ novels are the perfect balance between plot and character. Plot, for me as a reader and as a writer, is king. You see, part of the reason I adore fantasy and sci-fi is the sheer abundance of wild plots and premises that range from the interesting to the epic. I’m not fond of languorous character studies.
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