The Girls

The Girls by Emma Cline, 355 pages

In this excellent debut novel, Cline tells a fictionalized version of the Manson Family from the point of view of a young girl who becomes enamored with the cult, particularly with the other girls in it. Our narrator, Evie, is an awkward 15-year-old who is doesn't seem to fit in with the wealthy community where she lives in rural California. When she sees a few ragged girls shoplifting toilet paper and digging food out of a dumpster, her curiosity gets the better of her. Pretty soon she's tagging along with them out to a commune, and becomes infatuated with Suzanne, the leader of the titular girls. (I find it interesting that despite her descriptions of cult leader Russell's charms, Evie doesn't seem to care about him much; her magnet is Suzanne.)

This book has been getting a lot of buzz, and it's easy to see why. Evie is an excellent vessel in which to tell this story, as we watch her innocence fade while simultaneously watching the veil being lifted from her eyes. Cline's characters are compelling, and the story is wonderfully told. I'm excited to see what Cline comes up with next.