Emma Cline, born in 1989, has been one of the most important authors of her generation since her debut “The Girls”. The novel is about power structures, gender relations, growing up. It is inspired by the Charles Manson cult and its murders. Now Cline has topped it up.
“The Invitation”, just released in German, is set in the Hamptons, the holiday home Mecca of wealthy New Yorkers. A run-down ranch in California, the mansions on Long Island – the settings of Cline’s first and second novels are very different. But the issues are similar. “The Invitation” tells the story of 22-year-old Alex, who comes from the city but currently lives with the much older Simon in the Hamptons.
When Simon doesn’t like how Alex behaves at a party, he throws her out. But instead of returning to the city, she stays. And so the reader follows Alex through the days and pools. She meets other men, she lies, she steals, she swims and scratches the varnish of a life of luxury.
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