Heavy Topics & Satisfying Story

Be prepared for some explicit description of date rape. Don’t get me wrong. This is a great audiobook. I listened to the last word. Another great novel by Joyce Carol Oates. I just want to warn people who might be triggered by the topic. Also, there is a hate crime against a young Black man and the POV of the story is from the vantage point of the White family involved. I’m a minority, dark skinned male, and I had moments of not wanting to hear the perspective of the father. Joyce does well to portray such a family. It was very believable. Also, the story is anti patriarchal, but so am I so I didn’t care about all the hyper masculine bashing. Many of the characters, male and female, come off as stereotypical. The plot was well structured and kept me interested. Joyce builds the story like a towering house of cards. You wait for the main character to collapse. I was somewhat satisfied with the ending. It’s worth the listen. Also this performance by Sadie Alexandru was amazing. She didn’t get overly dramatic and her representations were not caricatures. From someone who listens to a lot of audiobooks, some of the performers over perform, as if this medium is not any different than stage or screen performance. But it is. Sadie is aware of audiobook performance and I didn’t break from the story. Other performers overact with their voice and there are times when I can’t finish the book—not because of the story but because of the performer. Sadie did well to know her medium. I highly recommend this audiobook and hope you enjoy as much as I did.

21 people found this helpful

Disturbing Story of an American Family.

It is a sad reminder of the current world we live in. Complex family issues, murder, abuse, and the strength to survive.

2 people found this helpful

Absolutely absorbing

One of the best voice performances I've heard. Excellent, engrossing story. No chapter lagged for me, though many were difficult to listen to because of the subject matter. JCO's ability to humanize and makeup relatable even the most traumatic events is profound. A beautiful story.

1 person found this helpful

Amazing novel, subpar narration

The mispronunciation of 75 cent words is a distraction from the quality of the work.

1 person found this helpful

Moments of great story telling but a bit problematic

It feels… like a reach.
It’s great to want to touch on things like grooming, race ethics and systemic patriarchy, but the way the narrator delves into these issues almost feels… fetishized.

1 person found this helpful

Snooze fest.

After 9 hours invested i finally had to turn off and return. I kept waiting for something to happen to hook me and it never did. The story itself was ok but nothing to make you want to keep opening and listening to it. Very disappointed

1 person found this helpful

Excellent story

A little disturbing, but a well crafted story about families, allegiances, and race in America.

1 person found this helpful

Does the world need this?

This is my first review after almost 200 books. Is this some sort of sick porn disguised as literature? I struggled on through most of the book based on an articulate review from another listener, and the author's reputation. Finally, gratefully, called it quits. I can't imagine who would want to listen to this, and advise anyone contemplating it to find something, anything, more healthy and rewarding on which to spend their time and money.

1 person found this helpful

Powerful!

Brilliant writing and story. Powerfully shows how shame and misplaced family loyalty enforce white male brutality, against society's best efforts. Needed to be written.

1 person found this helpful

Reminded me of why I stopped reading

I stopped reading Joyce Carol Oates’s novels because they are too uniformly somber. This one is no exception. The narrator makes it worse with her monotonously gloomy tone. The topics of the book are very serious (racism, child abuse) but I did not find that it helps the cause to be boring.