A review by bennyandthejets420
Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Pretty great triple-decker Gothic family novel. Sexy, dark, mysterious, and tortured. Really like how the Gothic elements are frequently juxtaposed with a "realist" explanation, suggesting that it is the Gothic by which the Bellefleurs see themselves and it is the Gothic by which the Bellefleurs explain their racial and class differences. I thought the theme of time was as fully developed as it could be and the book doesn't really change it's third person omniscient register at all throughout the books almost 600 pages. Still, I had a nice time with it and it comes across at times like a moody and existential version of Arrested Development. Bromwell and Vernon were my favorites of the family.