“The Girls” by Emma Cline

Well, Sam was right--The Guest was better than The Girls, and I was right too--I should have read The Girls first. I think I would have liked this one more if it wasn't suffering in comparison to its successor.

This is the story of Evie Boyd, a fictional hanger-on of the Manson Family. In fact, all of the characters were fictionalized, or at least given pseudonyms. I did briefly contemplate that decision (why bother? why not just give everyone their real names?) but I came to the conclusion that this allowed the writer greater creative freedom rather than requiring historical accuracy. 

I'm not eager to read about serial killers or senseless murder (though I guess I would say, for me, it's one step above reading about war, which is nothing if not officially-sanctioned senseless murder) but this book benefits from not really being *about* the Manson murders; they're more of a backdrop. What is really central to the story is fourteen-year-old Evie's obsession with Suzanne, the beautiful older girl whose gravitational attraction separates Evie from her mundane life and pulls her into the inner circle of a cult. Part of the story is told years later, and it's unsettling to see how Evie has spent her life just drifting off on an aimless trajectory after her release from orbit.  

Did I like the book? Meh. I mean, it definitely wasn't a chore to read. But ultimately it left me a little disappointed.