TVS was a book I was screaming my way through. That's not a metaphor for speed, it was quite literally rage inducing, frustrating, and tragic from start to finish. Like the voyerism of the neighbourhood boys, you as the reader will be on the outside of the novel begging to be able to reach into the pages and shake some sense into almost every single one of the characters. 

Eugenides' success as an author is on full display in this 250 pager. He crammed so much into it without it feeling bloated, on-the-nose, or pretentious. I found the prose to be unpretentious, and yet pregnant with meaning, sense experience, and philosophy (much of which is between the lines). The accessibility of this novel is, I presume, why it's an educational staple, especially for younger readers. That being said, I'm a 36 year old white man, and it was just as moving and relevant to me as to any teenager. 

I loved this book. I loved it in the way that it succeeded in everything it set out to do; to frustrate, to reflect, and to expose. It was enraging, callous, and vile at times. And yet the tiny moments of reflection, deference, and hope highlight that human nature endures far beyond the bounds of the oppressive environs of 1970's suburbia.