If you know anything about the “Manson Family,” then you’ll know the beats and settings of this novel all too well: A ranch of runaways (of mostly women and girls); a stand-in for Dennis Wilson; “Russel” as the failed musician turned cult leader; the random, vicious, senseless murders, etc. It reads like a memoir by someone from the “inside,” even though it is all fictionalized.

I think the book leans <i>too</i> heavily on the history of the “Manson Family” though. My familiarity with the details and its reliance on those details means that it cannot stand on its own for me. I don’t usually go for true crime stories (real or fake), but the podcast <i>You Must Remember This</i> did a miniseries about them, and the host lays out all of these details quite starkly.

Additionally, the pacing feels off at points. Cline will go on and on about with details describing scenes of no actual importance but then will skimp on details on scenes that needed to be more fully brought to life and explored. As for details about Evie...

I was disappointed that adult Evie doesn’t seem to have matured very much from her teen self, who is the primary storyteller of this novel. But perhaps that is the point: Evie will never be free from the worst summer of her early adolescence. I wish we had gotten to know Evie a little better. What are her hopes and dreams, as a child and now as an adult? What did she learn? What would she say to her younger self? What would she do differently? How is she feeling?

<b>Spoiler within:</b>

I kept expecting adult Evie to impart wisdom onto us, the readers or onto Sasha, who closely mirrors her younger self, but she never does, even when she witnesses the toxicity of Sasha’s relationship first-hand

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So what <i>did</i> I like?

I really like Cline’s writing style, and I like the way she brings us into Evie’s point of view: her thought processes, her rationalizations, her desire to escape, etc. It’s also a quick read. I’m a slow reader, but I was able to get through it in just a few sittings. I would generally recommend this book to those who are looking for something creepy, quick, and immersive, but aren’t looking for something with any deep substance or message.