Jessica's review
We Were the Mulvaneys (Oprah's Book Club)
by Joyce Carol Oates
Jessica's review
We Were the Mulvaneys (Oprah's Book Club) by Joyce Carol Oates
Jessica's review
rating:
bookshelves:
fiction
** spoiler alert **
This book starts off slowly, with sweeping descriptions of the landscape and the perfection of the Mulvaney family's idyllic life on their farm in upstate New York. It picks up, though, and the real story begins as the family's perfect facade is destroyed.
Essentially, this is the story of how a single event, and our reactions to it, can shape our entire lives. The lone Mulvaney daughter, Marianne, is raped following her junior prom. The attacker is never brought to justice and the shame surrounding the event causes Marianne's parents to send her away to live with a great-aunt. Mulvaney patriarch Michael becomes an alcoholic and loses the respect of his his fellow townspeople while his wife Corinne wants to carry on as if nothing has happened. Michael, Jr. distances himself from his family by joining the Marines while Academic middle brother Patrick becomes consumed with hatred for their father. The story is told by the youngest son, Judd, who is recruited by Patrick in his quest t...more
Essentially, this is the story of how a single event, and our reactions to it, can shape our entire lives. The lone Mulvaney daughter, Marianne, is raped following her junior prom. The attacker is never brought to justice and the shame surrounding the event causes Marianne's parents to send her away to live with a great-aunt. Mulvaney patriarch Michael becomes an alcoholic and loses the respect of his his fellow townspeople while his wife Corinne wants to carry on as if nothing has happened. Michael, Jr. distances himself from his family by joining the Marines while Academic middle brother Patrick becomes consumed with hatred for their father. The story is told by the youngest son, Judd, who is recruited by Patrick in his quest t...more
