the virgin suicides

"The room seemed full of a sweet viscous liquid, a honey nearly light as air, which he breathed in. Time slowed down, and in his left ear the ringing of the cosmic Om started up clear as a telephone...Every second is eternal...She was the still point of the turning world."

im not sure how i overlooked jeffrey eugenides' 1993 narrative for all these years. i think perhaps it had a decidedly female-centric audience in my own head. i couldnt be emasculated by reading some chick novel. i got over my personal stigma and plowed through this novel yesterday as i sat like a poached egg in pine needles next to a plus-sized latina grubbing out on what appeared to be a mayonnaise wrap. she washed down the hydrogenated oil with corn syrupy coca cola goodness. all i could think was, "her body is a unique temple."

eugenides' novel focuses on the suicides of the five Lisbon daughters, as told through the eyes of the neighborhood boys who pine for their attention. the first person plural, or perhaps the greek chorus although eugenides himself attributes this correlation to his decidedly greek-sounding last name. without delving too deeply into the plotline - one of the Lisbon daughters attempts suicide by stuffing her head and torso into the household oven. i must say, kudos for ingenuity but thumbs down for effectiveness. you shouldve stuck to the noose.

read an excerpt here:
the virgin suicides