Cline builds up scenes with fragmented sensory imagary that creates a dreamy atmosphere reminiscent of sofia coppola
Although this dreamy tone makes for some gorgeous prose, it also establishes a distance between the protagonist/narrator, the audience and the events that transpire, thus making the actual climactic and anticipated murder scene lose their edge. However, I would say that the Manson-inspired plot and characters act more as a vehicle for Cline to explore concepts of girlhood and the construction of a feminine identity that is defined by the gaze, or lack of, of men, and a hunger for something more.