The Girls is the debut novel by Emma Cline that’s gotten a lot of buzz so I was curious to read it. Beautifully written and heartbreaking all at the same time. Cline explores the interior life of lost teenage girls who get caught up in a CA cult at the end of the 60’s led by an enigmatic, yet creepy older guy; yet she fails to capture the essence of the times and how this place might have seemed a haven for a generation rebelling against the system.

It’s hard to follow all the way to the inevitable climax of the book, as the writing is much better than the story itself. I didn’t like the way the protagonist still felt scared and powerless years later even as a grown woman. A grim picture of how things can go very wrong for girls without a support system to show them what they’re really worth. Although Cline is undeniably a gifted writer, I was disappointed by this book.