The Girls, Emma Cline
There was a hearty debate about this book in my BBCE book club. Oddly enough, one of the topics at issue was when it becomes disingenuous to claim that a book is based entirely on fictional characters where inspiration has obviously come from actual events. In this case, there is little doubt that Cline’s book is a fictionalized “re-imagining” of the events of the Charles Manson cult and murders of the late 1960’s, but it could reasonably also be considered a direct parallel of those events, right down to the Brian-Wilson-rockstar character who feeds the cult leader’s psychopathic need for self-aggrandizement.
But perhaps the fiction (and therefore the fictional claim) is due to the fact that Cline’s book centers around a character, Evie, who doesn’t exist at all in the Manson world but instead is the reader’s window into the allure of the cult (to Evie it’s just “the ranch”.) Evie is “everygirl”, a disenchanted teenager who feels invisible to her parents and disconnected from her friends. At her most vulnerable, she meets Suzanne, who introduces her to the Ranch and from there she meets the cult leaders who prey on her desperate need for connection and acceptance.
What I loved most about this book was how the author captured the essence of Evie’s disconnectedness, and how much it brought back memories of my youth. I am absolutely one of those people who felt that I was not quite tuned in to the things that were going on around me. Friends would disengage from me without my noticing any early signs, or would suddenly go from talking about cartoons to talking about boys or bra sizes, even though it probably wasn’t “sudden”. The best analogy I can give is that I felt like I was living in a slightly different phase (for all you Trek fans), or that I had gone to sleep and woken up in a slightly future time (Rip Van Winkle fans). Essentially I was always just a little bit outside of whatever was happening in my life. I think this is why I don’t remember very many events from those days – because I never truly connected with them. The Girls brought all this back to me with alarming clarity.
However, I am still trying to understand that final ingredient that sends Evie into the clutches of the cult with such devotion that she is seemingly willing to participate in the cold-blooded murder of innocent people, including a child. Evie had this ingredient, and I don’t believe I did, but our stories seem quite similar so what is the difference? I suspect self-esteem is one factor. But is that enough to make us susceptible to the machinations of a sociopathic cult leader, or is there more? I hope there’s more to it, and that it doesn’t all just come down to being lucky enough not to encounter our own Suzanne.
Rating: Borrow it. Or just cut to the chase and read Helter Skelter.