A review by into_the_wreck
The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates
3.0
I received a free copy of The Accursed as part of a Goodreads, First Reads giveaway. It was a hefty read, but a fascinating one nonetheless. Joyce Carol Oates writes in the voice of a historian recounting a series of strange and otherworldly events that happened in turn of the century Princeton. Some readers will complain that the novel drags on at points and certain chapters are filled with unnecessary information and footnotes. I believe this was Oates' intention to give the story the feel of a history written by a verbose and somewhat singularly focused scholar. Some of our historian narrators chapters and footnotes can be skipped over entirely by the reader who is more interested in getting to the meat of the story. I found the extra information useful in terms of laying out the complete backdrop to the novel.
The Accursed is a true gothic novel with all kinds of equally fascinating and horrific characters. I enjoyed the blending of true historical figures with completely factionalized persons and events. It would be interesting to do some research to see how accurate Oates' portrayal was of figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Overall, it was an enjoyable albeit long read that also provided an interesting glimpse at the social and political landscape of turn-of-the-century New England.
The Accursed is a true gothic novel with all kinds of equally fascinating and horrific characters. I enjoyed the blending of true historical figures with completely factionalized persons and events. It would be interesting to do some research to see how accurate Oates' portrayal was of figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Overall, it was an enjoyable albeit long read that also provided an interesting glimpse at the social and political landscape of turn-of-the-century New England.