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honnari_hannya's review
4.0
TW: Adult-minor relationship, mentions of (potential) incest, sexual violence,
Joyce Carol Oates is quickly become one of my favorite authors. There is something about her that just speaks to my id—particularly in that she doesn't seem to try and reign hers in, and I completely fuck with that.
This is the story of Katya Spivak, a 16-year-old Jersey girl who is working as a nanny one summer in an upscale seaside town. There, she meets a much older man whose inappropriate interest in her is something Katya is quite familiar with—having been subjected to such advances nearly all her life. But the intensity of their relationship quickly ramps up, and Katya slowly realizes that Marcus Kidder has designs for her beyond being a pretty young model he wants to draw.
The premise of this is immediately intriguing to me, because I love examinations of intensely skewed power dynamics—and JCO makes it seem like this could go either way. Kidder, of course, is predatory simply by nature of him being an older man seeking out a relationship with this much younger woman. This is something that we, as readers, understand. But Katya as well revels in the power of her youthfulness and sexiness—especially in older men—which is a certain kind of power too when you are a teenage girl, which JCO so carefully unfolds as something that can be extremely exploitable (and then not so carefully). This appeal is what makes her feel safe in Kidder's home, his presence, as his model—even when all signs point to the predatory nature of their relationship.
I've mentioned before how much I enjoy how JCO writes women. Never overplaying the "headstrong" angle, nor the "too easily persuaded." She goes right up there with Du Maurier for those that write complex female characters for me. Katya doesn't necessarily mistake one thing for another, but she thinks certain things are equivalent when she shouldn't. Things like affection/attention, lust/love, romance/romantic, and especially being in love and being paid. That last is especially important to her character as a working-class girl.
But what I found most intriguing here was the way she chose to characterize Marcus Kidder—very old, a little whimsical, a children's book author, kind of grandfatherly in Katya's eyes. Almost as if to temper the reader's impulse to romanticize the situation from the get-go, even though she will complicate that later with all his talk of soulmates and the inherent romanticism of that sentiment.
There were a couple of things I wasn't quite on board with. The pacing was a little off, too slow in some parts and the sinister build wasn't necessarily all there for me. But I do appreciate the turns this took toward the end—how JCO turned My Fair Lady to Death and the Maiden to Death as the Maiden. Clever and intriguing.
Spoiler
chronic illness, assisted suicideJoyce Carol Oates is quickly become one of my favorite authors. There is something about her that just speaks to my id—particularly in that she doesn't seem to try and reign hers in, and I completely fuck with that.
This is the story of Katya Spivak, a 16-year-old Jersey girl who is working as a nanny one summer in an upscale seaside town. There, she meets a much older man whose inappropriate interest in her is something Katya is quite familiar with—having been subjected to such advances nearly all her life. But the intensity of their relationship quickly ramps up, and Katya slowly realizes that Marcus Kidder has designs for her beyond being a pretty young model he wants to draw.
The premise of this is immediately intriguing to me, because I love examinations of intensely skewed power dynamics—and JCO makes it seem like this could go either way. Kidder, of course, is predatory simply by nature of him being an older man seeking out a relationship with this much younger woman. This is something that we, as readers, understand. But Katya as well revels in the power of her youthfulness and sexiness—especially in older men—which is a certain kind of power too when you are a teenage girl, which JCO so carefully unfolds as something that can be extremely exploitable (and then not so carefully). This appeal is what makes her feel safe in Kidder's home, his presence, as his model—even when all signs point to the predatory nature of their relationship.
I've mentioned before how much I enjoy how JCO writes women. Never overplaying the "headstrong" angle, nor the "too easily persuaded." She goes right up there with Du Maurier for those that write complex female characters for me. Katya doesn't necessarily mistake one thing for another, but she thinks certain things are equivalent when she shouldn't. Things like affection/attention, lust/love, romance/romantic, and especially being in love and being paid. That last is especially important to her character as a working-class girl.
But what I found most intriguing here was the way she chose to characterize Marcus Kidder—very old, a little whimsical, a children's book author, kind of grandfatherly in Katya's eyes. Almost as if to temper the reader's impulse to romanticize the situation from the get-go, even though she will complicate that later with all his talk of soulmates and the inherent romanticism of that sentiment.
There were a couple of things I wasn't quite on board with. The pacing was a little off, too slow in some parts and the sinister build wasn't necessarily all there for me. But I do appreciate the turns this took toward the end—how JCO turned My Fair Lady to Death and the Maiden to Death as the Maiden. Clever and intriguing.
antonyiah's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bookishblunoser's review
3.0
This book was very hard to rate. I devoured it quickly, unable to put it down. I was waiting for the “thing” to happen, unsure of what the “thing” would be. Oates’ writing is delectable, but overall the story left me feeling disappointed. It is not a “gothic thriller” as was described on the cover and I have no idea what Oates is trying to say through this relationship based on desire and control…
elundh's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
soph2962's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bluestarfish's review
2.0
Perhaps not the best JCO to start with as I've not read any of her books before? Didn't really find it all that interesting although the action did pick up towards the end.
tusenord's review against another edition
2.0
Well written story and interesting characters, but their personalities weren't to my liking.
salicat's review
4.0
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I think Joyce Carol Oates had Little Red Riding Hood in mind when she wrote this. Fairy tale references are scattered throughout the book like breadcrumbs. We meet sixteen-year-old blond, tan-legged Katya (aka Cinderella or Snow White), who is working as a nanny for the rich Engelhardts on a New Jersey beach. She doesn't have an evil stepmother, but she does have a mother who prefers gambling and drinking to paying attention to her children. Enter Marcus Kidder (aka Prince Charming/Big Bad Wolf). Yes, I intended to put that slash there. But Kidder isn't the young raven-haired prince of Disney movies. He isn't young at all, or raven-haired- he is a sixty-eight year old man who's very attracted to Katya. And so our story begins with the push and pull page-turning suspense that Oates executes so well. Mr. Kidder wants Katya to model for him (he's an artist), and of course, as in any Oates story, or any story worth reading, for that matter, things get...complicated. On top of that we have her cousin Roy in the picture. He just got out of jail.
One thing I've always liked about Oates is her ability to blend in the character moods with nature imagery- clouds splitting the sky precedes a character's frown. Her sentences are spare, yet punch you with their poetry. And of course, there's her incredible talent for suspense.
Although Katya and Mr. Kidder are superbly developed, I felt like the rest of the characters were caricatures. The Engelhardts are greedy, suspicious, and spoiled- because that's just how rich people who have summer homes on the beach are, right? And I have yet to read an Oates story where a teenage/twenty-something male isn't pure evil- nothing more but a violent rapist/ex-prisoner with addiction problems. Such is the case with Roy. In fact, it's always been somewhat of a surprise to me that Oates' male characters have always been so two-dimensional, considering she's such a great writer.
As for the ending- I guess it worked, but I closed the book feeling kind of...dead. And sad. Not the sweet kind of sadness that succeeds a Hardy or Bronte novel, but a kind of icky sad. Also, there are certain mysteries in the novel that go unanswered- I couldn't figure out if that was intentional, or if Oates just didn't feel like dealing with those plot lines (in which case, why put them there?). Oh well. Still a recommend.
PS- For anyone familiar with Oates's short stories, this story seemed to be, in a lot of ways, a reworking of one of my favorite Oates stories called "The Model."
One thing I've always liked about Oates is her ability to blend in the character moods with nature imagery- clouds splitting the sky precedes a character's frown. Her sentences are spare, yet punch you with their poetry. And of course, there's her incredible talent for suspense.
Although Katya and Mr. Kidder are superbly developed, I felt like the rest of the characters were caricatures. The Engelhardts are greedy, suspicious, and spoiled- because that's just how rich people who have summer homes on the beach are, right? And I have yet to read an Oates story where a teenage/twenty-something male isn't pure evil- nothing more but a violent rapist/ex-prisoner with addiction problems. Such is the case with Roy. In fact, it's always been somewhat of a surprise to me that Oates' male characters have always been so two-dimensional, considering she's such a great writer.
As for the ending- I guess it worked, but I closed the book feeling kind of...dead. And sad. Not the sweet kind of sadness that succeeds a Hardy or Bronte novel, but a kind of icky sad. Also, there are certain mysteries in the novel that go unanswered- I couldn't figure out if that was intentional, or if Oates just didn't feel like dealing with those plot lines (in which case, why put them there?). Oh well. Still a recommend.
PS- For anyone familiar with Oates's short stories, this story seemed to be, in a lot of ways, a reworking of one of my favorite Oates stories called "The Model."
novelesque_life's review
2.0
2 STARS
"Sixteen year-old Katya Spivak is out for a walk on the gracious streets of Bayhead Harbor with her two summer babysitting charges when she's approached by silver-haired, elegant Marcus Kidder. At first, his interest in her seems harmless, even pleasant; like his name, a sort of gentle joke. His beautiful home, the children's books that he's wirtten, his classical music, the marvelous art in his study, his lavish presents to her: Mr. Kidder's life couldn't be more different from Katya's drab working-class existence back home in South Jersey, or more enticing. But by degrees, almost imperceptibly, something changes, and posing for Mr. Kidder's new painting isn't the light-hearted endeavor it once was. What does he really want from her? And how far will he go to get it?" (From Amazon)
A little too Lolita-ish - but truth be told it was interesting enough to finish the short novel but not enough to reread or recommend. .5 for subject matter and 1.5 for the brilliant writing. (Note: I am not a big fan of the novel, Lolita).
"Sixteen year-old Katya Spivak is out for a walk on the gracious streets of Bayhead Harbor with her two summer babysitting charges when she's approached by silver-haired, elegant Marcus Kidder. At first, his interest in her seems harmless, even pleasant; like his name, a sort of gentle joke. His beautiful home, the children's books that he's wirtten, his classical music, the marvelous art in his study, his lavish presents to her: Mr. Kidder's life couldn't be more different from Katya's drab working-class existence back home in South Jersey, or more enticing. But by degrees, almost imperceptibly, something changes, and posing for Mr. Kidder's new painting isn't the light-hearted endeavor it once was. What does he really want from her? And how far will he go to get it?" (From Amazon)
A little too Lolita-ish - but truth be told it was interesting enough to finish the short novel but not enough to reread or recommend. .5 for subject matter and 1.5 for the brilliant writing. (Note: I am not a big fan of the novel, Lolita).
megankgates13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75