The Girls

Guys and gals, you need to read The Girls* by Emma Cline. I haven't slurped up a book so quickly in a while, and this one had me staying up late into the night (and then sleeping in an inordinate amount).

The Girls is about the Manson Family without being about the Manson Family. Charles Manson has made a comeback in mainstream media recently. We've learned he's short (thank you, Mindhunter) and we've learned that Brad Pitt can still get it (thank you, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). The Girls never uses the M-word; instead, it focuses on a fictional cult inspired by the Manson Family, seen through the lens of a fringe member, Evie, whose insecurities and curiosities render her vulnerable to the cult's allure.

Emma Cline gets some backlash for taking the Manson events and changing very little aside from the names. Sure, fair. But for me, The Girls reads like a coming-of-age story and Cline's writing of Evie hits the nail on such a weird, specific head. She articulates a character that I have never seen. Even a few pages in, Evie comes to life in my mind so vividly-- a move that few authors are able to orchestrate as effectively. I feel so many things towards Evie: fascination, revulsion, empathy, disappointment. Nothing is simple about Cline's depiction of the cult or Evie's involvement with it. She doesn't say *the cult is bad and Evie regrets her decisions*, nor does she say *the cult is good and Evie is thankful for them*. Cline wades the nuance through Evie. She moves back and forth between present-day Evie and cult Evie, and in doing so, she carefully walks the line between plot and reflection. So, I don't care that I'm reading about a guy named Russell who did the same shit that Manson did. I care about Evie's perspective of it all.

Also, the cover is rad. ALSO, this is Cline's first novel! The Girls receives 5 out of 5 camel humps.

*Cline, Emma. The Girls. New York: Random House, 2016. Print.