The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The acclaimed debut novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that inspired Sofia Coppola’s 1999 directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides.

Set in suburban 1970s America, the novel tells the haunting story of the five Lisbon sisters, whose mysterious lives and tragic deaths become an enduring obsession for the neighbourhood boys who admired them from afar. Years later, the boys remain determined to understand what happened.

Lyrical, atmospheric and darkly compelling, The Virgin Suicides explores adolescence, desire, isolation and the mysteries of growing up. Its dreamlike portrayal of suburban life provided the perfect inspiration for Coppola’s distinctive filmmaking style, with its evocative interiors, nostalgic imagery and fascination with the inner lives of young women.