Love/Hate Relationship

I have a love/hate relationship with Joyce Carol Oates.  She is a great writer.  She really is.  You can see that I have disliked a book or two by her.  Check out High Crime Area.  Her books are disturbing and thought provoking.  Big Mouth and Ugly Girl was a book that I loved.  A great story of rumor gone wrong.  Religion takes a hit here, that is no surprise in an Oates book.  But at least Oates names this religion for what it is, ridiculous right-wing garbage cloaked in a "religious" mask.  So that was good.  A very recommendable read.

Heard it All Before...

Joyce Carol Oates maybe has just been writing too long.  Maybe she just doesn't have anything more to say.  I have liked some of her stuff, I think.  I can't remember anything that I read, but I know there was a short story that I liked, but man, High Crime Area was just so so so preachy.  Oates is an evangelist for non-believers and that is fine, but to be a good evangelist you have to have something to say.  Oates just says the same thing over and over and over and over and well, you get the idea.  I love that the cover is super cheesy!  At first when I saw it I thought, "This is kind of a cheesy cover for such a Woman of Letters!" but having read it, I find it perfect.  Nothing new here.