Why do young women join cults?

The Girls by Emma Cline (first published in 2016 by Chatto & Windus)

It’s 1969 and Evie is an average girl. Not too pretty, not too smart, not too adventurous. She just is; and that’s ok. Until it isn’t.

Evie is searching for something, the unattainable and untouchable. She is seeking to carve out her own place in the world. From lazy summer days filled with comfortable friendships, beauty regimes and longing for boys, emerges a possibility.

In trying to be noticed and defined in the world, Evie notices the girls. Ethereal and otherworldly; their long hair and dirty feet only add to their boldness and beauty.

When Evie is accepted into part of the group, her adoration and longing intensify, as she yearns for some of the magic to rub off on her own life. Bending her rules and pushing her comfort point, Evie begins to live life anew, gaining experiences which simultaneously enmesh her in the group and isolate her.

In a world of loneliness, Evie begins to feel part of something bigger than herself. Centred around Russell, a charming leader of a cult, Evie discovers that the girls are not quite all they seem, and that some freedoms should be left abandoned.

There is an unsettling universal truth in The Girls – a quiet niggling that speaks to the dark parts of your mind and experiences. Cline has not only presented Evie’s mind, but dissected it, while holding up a mirror to the reader, exposing their own gore and trembling thoughts.

Cline truly gives us a masterpiece – the depth of emotion, the sense of longing and loss, the need to be accepted – all are beautifully and artistically portrayed to feel real, cloying and tangible.

The Girls should be prescribed reading for teenage girls and boys alike – it portrays the magnetic force of society, and the good and bad that can be attracted. This book is truly phenomenal; it exposes love and lust in a refreshing manner, showing both the pull and revulsion of both, and it questions loyalty and trust.

In a world where every girl is an island, it’s a question of sink or swim, and through her story, Emma Cline fashions the reader into a brilliant swimmer.  

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