Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
HarperCollins e-books (2009), Edition: Reprint, 338 pages
Description
"[Oates] has once again held a haunting mirror up to America, revealing who we are." --Boston Globe The inimitable Joyce Carol Oates returns with Dear Husband--a gripping and moving story collection that powerfully re-imagines the meaning of family in America, often through violent means. Oates, a former recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction--as well as the National Book Award, Prix Femina, and numerous other literary honors--dazzles and disturbs with an outstanding compilation the Washington Post calls, "Savage, poetic and ruthless...among the best things she's ever done." Dear Husband is another triumph for the author of The Gravedigger's Daughter, We Were the Mulvaneys, and Blonde.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Bridget770
This was my first book of short stories since school, and I loved it. The characters were interesting and captured my attention. Oates is an incredible writer, and this book was wonderful.
LibraryThing member OneMorePage
In this short story collection, Oates predominately examines what happens to children as a result of their parents' misdeeds. The torment of an estranged son whose mother becomes famous by writing of her teenage sexual exploits with her brother; a father who tries to duplicate himself; the revenge
In a marked departure from the other tales in the book, Death by Fitness Center stands out as a comedic tale of a middle-aged woman's winter blues and her attempts to beat them by going to a fitness center with those of her age-group. A witty and insightful look at a fitness center through the eyes of a fifty-something woman.
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of a young man whose father abused his mother; the terrible results of post-partum depression ignored. Following Oates' creative approach to the dark side of every day life, not one of these stories disappointed.In a marked departure from the other tales in the book, Death by Fitness Center stands out as a comedic tale of a middle-aged woman's winter blues and her attempts to beat them by going to a fitness center with those of her age-group. A witty and insightful look at a fitness center through the eyes of a fifty-something woman.
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LibraryThing member ericnguyen09
Joyce Carol Oates is considered a classic contemporary writer. And she boasts it too. She says she's a "serious" writer. And she obviously makes efforts to invoke an American timelessness in her work, as if naming specific cities might win her a prize or two, and perhaps it has.
However, perhaps
Oates is a sensationalist. To say she is a realist is laughable. Her characters are not real, they overact and are not characters to whom we as human beings can relate. Not that rich authors and PhD drug addicts aren't relatable, but it seems like Oates is writing from a different generation and a different paradigm and is no longer for this time in literature: it was for, maybe, another time, in the past.
Despite, this however, there were highlights. "Landfill," for example, is a great story in which Oate's once horrific use of run-ons and air quotes profits into a haunting story about the murder of a college boy. Also, "The Blind Man's Sighted Daughters," is a story in which Oates skillfully shows the tensions between family members, in this case, two daughters and their blind father.
Other than these, however, themes are reworked throughout the collection in a way that is repetitive and bland, even with the sensationalistic events. Perhaps the "serious" writer is grasping for something from her ivory tower, yet if readers can't relate to her work, she loses an audience and runs the risk of looking pompous in interviews and boring in writing, something Oates does rather well.
However, perhaps
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Oates is just another name hyped up by publishers and this collection of short stories proves that she is. I guess I expected more from the author, but the stories were a mixture of sensationalism matched with horrible writing made of air quotes, excessive exclamation marks, and annoying run-ons. She tackles huge and sometimes taboo subjects--incest, pornography, divorce, patricide. Yet, the stories main focus seem to be just that without digging much deeper. For example, "Cutty Sark," a story about incest, is at best scattered. Oates starts with a contemplation of suicide, a character wondering if suicide is genetic in his family, yet somehow we end with the mother's incestuous affair with her brother. She draws her character in that story well enough, yet the incest taken out would have done nothing to the story, nor did adding it in do anything. That story in particular focused upon the relationship between mother and son, and the addition of the incest information adds absolutely nothing, and becomes just sensationalist.Oates is a sensationalist. To say she is a realist is laughable. Her characters are not real, they overact and are not characters to whom we as human beings can relate. Not that rich authors and PhD drug addicts aren't relatable, but it seems like Oates is writing from a different generation and a different paradigm and is no longer for this time in literature: it was for, maybe, another time, in the past.
Despite, this however, there were highlights. "Landfill," for example, is a great story in which Oate's once horrific use of run-ons and air quotes profits into a haunting story about the murder of a college boy. Also, "The Blind Man's Sighted Daughters," is a story in which Oates skillfully shows the tensions between family members, in this case, two daughters and their blind father.
Other than these, however, themes are reworked throughout the collection in a way that is repetitive and bland, even with the sensationalistic events. Perhaps the "serious" writer is grasping for something from her ivory tower, yet if readers can't relate to her work, she loses an audience and runs the risk of looking pompous in interviews and boring in writing, something Oates does rather well.
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LibraryThing member Judith-Alison
Superbly crafted, witty and often scary stories about what goes on in the minds of of apparently ordinary people leading ordinary lives. Not a collection for lovers of 'happy ever after', but you have to admire the diverse imagination of the author.
LibraryThing member BALE
I enjoy Joyce Carol Oates books but did not find these shorts stories as interesting as others. In particular, her full length novels. I also had some difficulty with one of the narrators (the audio-book had about 3, in total). That may have clouded my interpretation of this book.
LibraryThing member ajarn7086
When a book pops up on my screen from author Joyce Carol Oates I download it, always. When it is a collection of short stories, I am even happier. Dear Husband: Stories is a collection of previously published stories, completely portable and fun to read. For me, Oates is unique in the way she
Panic Imagine you are a parent and must choose between saving your only child or saving your spouse. You choose the child but everyone survives, how does the family dynamic change? What does the “sacrificed” spouse think of the choice?
Special Aimee grew up fast. She had to. It was as if her older sister had evil designs on her.
The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters Lyle Sebera controlled his daughters all their life. Abigail moved away, Helen stayed to take care of Lyle even though he was in his eighties and almost blind. But Abigail came back when Helen called, just for a couple of days, but during those days Lyle demonstrated his control.
Magda Maria The unnamed narrator is in love with Magda Maria but he has to stand in line and wait for a chance. There are Danto and Wolverine and Maria’s frequent disappearances to live through. But she always returns and our narrator is always waiting. There is a final meeting but only because our narrator has fled after one last meeting. But he knows where to find his love should he ever want to.
A Princeton Idyll Muriel had worked for Sophie’s family for years and had been a part-time nanny to Sophie. After three decades Muriel wrote to Sophie with some memories. Not all of them were pleasant.
Cutty Sark Kit had a famous writer mother. Quincy’s books were famous for tell-all honesty. But some family secrets shouldn’t be told, especially when there are implications for present relationships.
Landfill Many married couples want children but for some, kids are just an afterthought.
Vigilante After reading this you might think you have discovered the possible thinking behind those who commit random shootings.
The Heart Sutra There is a commonly held belief that genius is close to madness. What if two geniuses were in a relationship and one person’s genius began to pull ahead of the others? Would there be jealousy or would there be a fast descent into madness?
Dear Joyce Carol, This is a truly scary stalker story. Guess who the one stalked is.
Suicide by Fitness Center There is a hint of the occult here in the presence of a cat. While the narrator may contemplate suicide by overwork in a fitness center, it is her colleagues who seem nearer to death.
The Glazers Penelope went to visit the family of a man she might marry, Glen Glazer. Penelope had a secret she had never told Glen; she was waiting for the right time to do so. But when she found out the Glazer secret, her secret paled to the point of insignificance.
Mistrial I don’t want to say anything about this story except I consider it the best of the collection. Since short stories don’t have to be read in any order, think about reading this one first. It is truly outstanding with a really great no-way-you-will-guess-this ending.
Dear Husband, While "Mistrial" is the best, this story comes in second but it is a story of true horror. I would never consider Joyce Carol Oates to be a horror (genre) writer but this story fits into that genre.
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presents thought-stopping surprise sentences in the middle of excellently crafted stories. The surprise sentences are like gifts; the stories alone are great. As I usually do with short stories, I will comment on each one. Panic Imagine you are a parent and must choose between saving your only child or saving your spouse. You choose the child but everyone survives, how does the family dynamic change? What does the “sacrificed” spouse think of the choice?
Special Aimee grew up fast. She had to. It was as if her older sister had evil designs on her.
The Blind Man’s Sighted Daughters Lyle Sebera controlled his daughters all their life. Abigail moved away, Helen stayed to take care of Lyle even though he was in his eighties and almost blind. But Abigail came back when Helen called, just for a couple of days, but during those days Lyle demonstrated his control.
Magda Maria The unnamed narrator is in love with Magda Maria but he has to stand in line and wait for a chance. There are Danto and Wolverine and Maria’s frequent disappearances to live through. But she always returns and our narrator is always waiting. There is a final meeting but only because our narrator has fled after one last meeting. But he knows where to find his love should he ever want to.
A Princeton Idyll Muriel had worked for Sophie’s family for years and had been a part-time nanny to Sophie. After three decades Muriel wrote to Sophie with some memories. Not all of them were pleasant.
Cutty Sark Kit had a famous writer mother. Quincy’s books were famous for tell-all honesty. But some family secrets shouldn’t be told, especially when there are implications for present relationships.
Landfill Many married couples want children but for some, kids are just an afterthought.
Vigilante After reading this you might think you have discovered the possible thinking behind those who commit random shootings.
The Heart Sutra There is a commonly held belief that genius is close to madness. What if two geniuses were in a relationship and one person’s genius began to pull ahead of the others? Would there be jealousy or would there be a fast descent into madness?
Dear Joyce Carol, This is a truly scary stalker story. Guess who the one stalked is.
Suicide by Fitness Center There is a hint of the occult here in the presence of a cat. While the narrator may contemplate suicide by overwork in a fitness center, it is her colleagues who seem nearer to death.
The Glazers Penelope went to visit the family of a man she might marry, Glen Glazer. Penelope had a secret she had never told Glen; she was waiting for the right time to do so. But when she found out the Glazer secret, her secret paled to the point of insignificance.
Mistrial I don’t want to say anything about this story except I consider it the best of the collection. Since short stories don’t have to be read in any order, think about reading this one first. It is truly outstanding with a really great no-way-you-will-guess-this ending.
Dear Husband, While "Mistrial" is the best, this story comes in second but it is a story of true horror. I would never consider Joyce Carol Oates to be a horror (genre) writer but this story fits into that genre.
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Language
Original publication date
2009-03-31