Title: Boring and lacking dimension
Review: I prefer character-driven fiction and, as such, have enjoyed several of JCO's books. This one, however, was a disappointment. I forced myself to finish it.Most off-putting was the first person narrative. This could have worked OK, however, the dialogue and interaction were ineffectual and too infrequent to balance the over-abundance of introspection. This exposition provided insufficient relief from the seemingly endless narrative and resulted in a character with limited dimension that failed to evoke either empathy or engagement with the reader.I suspect Oates wrote this as an example of first person composition for her students. As an academic exercise, it probably delivered. As a novel, it was a major yawn. Not recommended.
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