Seca says:

Lullabies For Little Criminals was such a gem! I would never have read it based on the cover or marketing, but it was recommended to me. We can see the world through the innocent eyes of a twelve year old and her life is far from ideal. I highly recommend it!

Seca says:

Have you read Lullabies For Little Criminals?

Thanks for the Rec!

Seca says:

Have you read BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz? It just came out and she's compared to a young Chuck Palahniuk. She was 16 when she wrote it. I loved it!!

Phoebe Rogan says:

again, your contributions are excellent!
very helpful!
love it.
PR

Mathieu Raby says:

Lol, cemeteries eh? Thanks for the invite to Chuck, he'd better appreciate it too. I'll read up and get back to you :)

Lady Ethereal Butterfly says:

I think Lux most certainly wanted to be understood as an individual, but I still sense insecurity in her in terms of her feeling unloved and inadequate. Lux’s promiscuity represents her vulnerability to me and the way Lux used her body screams lack of self-respect and feelings of insignificance and worthlessness. Perhaps I'm clouding things with my own experiences when I was a teenage girl though.

I like what you said about recognizing individual uniqueness because that's true.

Take care!

Lady Ethereal Butterfly says:

I've always associated promiscuity with insecurity. Perhaps Lux was looking for validation, reassurance, or affection as well as an escape from her reality.

It seems like BC is the only place in Canada experiencing somewhat summerlike weather. It was 26 degrees and sunny yesterday, and today is shaping up to be the same. I hope you get some sunshine in the near future.

Nora Ephron’s name seems to be popping up a lot lately. Perhaps it’s a sign that I should read something by her.

Lady Ethereal Butterfly says:

I suspect you're right! They would have been just as imprisoned with the boys. People are so foolish in their pursuit of eternal beauty because beauty isn't infinite in any form.

I agree about innocence and virginity being part of their appeal, but not necessarily in the traditional sense. Lux used sex to try to escape, but clearly that didn't give her any satisfaction or happiness. She was still innocent in terms of life experience.

Lady Ethereal Butterfly says:

No, the author never does explain why, but I'm glad he didn't because it would take away from the story. It's human nature to want to figure it out, and I'm no exception.

You make some great points. The element of the story that adds most to the "mysterious" nature of the sisters is that they kill themselves while the boys are waiting to take them away. They had the perfect opportunity to escape from their lives (at least temporarily), but they chose to escape from it on a whole other level.

Lady Ethereal Butterfly says:

The Virgin Suicides as a novel was more satisfying than the film, but I enjoyed both. You're absolutely right about how creepy the boys’ fixation on those sisters is. It’s a fetish they never grow out of either. To this day, I still don't truly understand the girls’ motivations for suicide. Was it an act of rebellion? An escape from their oppressive home life? Indifference and apathy? Genuine sadness and misery? What is your take on it?