The Virgin Suicides

After Mrs. Lisbon put the house in full lockdown, all that the boys could see from the outside were the “incarcerated shadows” of the Lisbon girls. Clouds always seemed to linger above the Lisbon home, and the sun never seemed to reach it anymore. The girls were taken out of school, and all their belongings were left in their lockers, including a drawing of Mary’s of a girl being crushed under a boulder. Mr. Lisbon acted unaware of their absence, and when the boys interviewed Mrs. Lisbon years later, she explained that she made what she thought was the best decision for their daughters, considering their grief and their increasing exposure to teen boys.

Mrs. Lisbon forced Lux to destroy all her rock records, dramatically having Lux hand them to her one by one to throw in a fire. When Mrs. Lisbon realized that the plastic smell was horrible, she decided to throw the rest away with the garbage. Mr. Lisbon went to work, and the family attended church, but aside from that they were almost never seen. This changed when Lux was spotted having sex with various boys and men, each night a new person, on the roof of the Lisbon home.