‘The Girls’ by newcomer Emma Cline, is a 2016 novel following the main character, Evie, in two different timelines. It first follows Evie in present day where she is house sitting. Someone makes an off-handed remark about an infamous killing that had happened many years prior.

She soon recalls her life in 1967, the year she unknowingly joined a cult similar to the infamous real-life cult led by Charles Manson throughout the 60s. The cult’s most devoted followers are the females of the group who worship the ground Russell, the equivalent to Manson, walks on.

Evie is first pulled in when she is a teenager and the cult introduces her to sex, drugs and violence. Channeling the Manson cult, this fictional cult also puts up a very peaceful and loving facade that easily lures in new recruits. Soon, however, that facade falls and the readers are faced with the harsh reality that ends with bloody means.

This novel is extremely intriguing and hard to put down. Cline creates a world that is both off-putting and intoxicating to read about, throughout the novel I was constantly switching between rooting for the narrator and thinking she was an awful character.

This book is a must-read for anybody who is interested in true crime or the way cults, such as the one depicted in the novel, work. Cline obviously knows what she is doing and is a fantastic author. Her words and the way she puts sequences together showcase her talent. I would give this novel an 8/10.

18agonzalez@usd489.com