The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates
If you were a fan of We Were the Mulvaneys, then this is a book that you will also like. To be honest, I am not a big fan of Oates' prose style and have a hard time connecting with her characters. Although this book borders on a Meal for the Mind, it was more just a Light Snack for the Brain.
The setting of her book is an interesting historical element. Based in the Niagara Falls area, it delves into the Love Canal crisis before it actually made front page news in the 70's. This story line element is what almost pushed it into a meal for the mind, but alas that part was never a focus or fully developed question for the reader so it fell short.
What she does develop is a lost and guarded woman who in fact remains guarded even to the reader, who has a life of tragedy in some ways and extreme happiness that she can never seem to be content with. This is a waiting for the other shoe to drop kind of female lead. Throughout the book there are a host of loose story lines that never seem to go anywhere; as well as story lines that are developed but don't seem to tie into the main story.
This maybe what some readers connect with however. Oates seems to create these family dynamics and characters that are like people we know with flaws and issues. Like those friends, neighbors, co-workers, we seem to only get to know some aspects of the characters and never really feel fully tied to them. The story lines too are like life, messy and complicated, and she never pretends to tie everything up in neat bow at the end of the books.
It was an okay read. I was compelled to finish the book even though I never felt fully vested in the characters or the outcome. However, if you are a fan of her particular writing style (which is very unique) then this is a book you might want to pick up at your local library.
- Series: P.S.
- Paperback: 512 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial (August 2, 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060722290
- ASIN: B005DIAE9G
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