The Girls by Emma Cline

This book blew me away. For a first novel, the writing is nothing short of amazing. Emma Cline is a rare talent, and I look forward to reading many more of her books.

Like Evie, the main character in this book, I was 14 years old in 1969 and remember the Manson murders well. This book is a fictionalized version of "the girls" who followed Manson and were drawn into his sphere. Evie is a pretty normal 14 year old, wanting attention from boys, hanging out at her friend Connie's house and flirting with her older brother, Peter. This was the era of hippies and flower children and free love, and this was San Francisco, pretty much the hub of hippie-ism at that time. Evie sees a group of girls dumpster-diving in a parking lot and becomes enthralled with Suzanne, an older girl who doesn't seem to have a care in  the world. After a spat with Connie, Evie happens to meet up with Suzanne and the other girls again when her bike breaks, and they give her a ride to their ranch, where she meets Russell (the Manson character in this book). Evie likes the commune lifestyle and starts spending more time at the ranch, while her mom thinks she is with Connie all the time. In the back of her mind, Evie knows something is not right, but in teenage rebellion fashion, she stays with the group at the ranch and is somewhat in love with Suzanne, who has become her idol. Her story is told in alternating times from the present to 1969. Even though you know where the story is going, you have to keep turning the pages, going with Evie into that ever-darker spiral leading to unspeakable horror.

This book is fast-paced and beautifully written, and it sucks you into Evie's journey so completely that you forget everything else going on around you until you finally reach the last page. Emma Cline captures the era and the teen culture of the late 1960s so well that I would swear she was my age. Her writing is a joy to read, so descriptive that you can imagine every detail in your mind. There are parts that are disturbing, but Cline goes lightly on the graphic violence. Some is necessary for the story though. This is a five-star book that I would recommend to anyone who remembers the Manson murders or is interested in learning about them from an insider's point of view.