A review by laurelinwonder
The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates
4.0
I'd like to begin with a quote from Goodreads reviewer Maya Lang:
"I really wish I could have observed that moment when Joyce Carol Oates was like, 'You know, maybe I'll write a Gothic with demon bridegrooms that brings together Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Something spooky that also sheds light on turn-of-the-century issues of race and class. Oh, and I'll do it from the perspective of a male historian who's the son of one of the characters and thus implicated in the whole story. Just, you know, to stretch myself a little.' "
Lang nails my overall thoughts about this book, even if it's not my favorite Oates novel. I enjoyed the historical fiction play that happened here, and the footnotes that illuminated the scenes. The Gothic tendencies were well wrought (as usual), it just felt a little long for once.
"I really wish I could have observed that moment when Joyce Carol Oates was like, 'You know, maybe I'll write a Gothic with demon bridegrooms that brings together Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Something spooky that also sheds light on turn-of-the-century issues of race and class. Oh, and I'll do it from the perspective of a male historian who's the son of one of the characters and thus implicated in the whole story. Just, you know, to stretch myself a little.' "
Lang nails my overall thoughts about this book, even if it's not my favorite Oates novel. I enjoyed the historical fiction play that happened here, and the footnotes that illuminated the scenes. The Gothic tendencies were well wrought (as usual), it just felt a little long for once.