Them by Joyce Carol Oates

[George]

Please comment here on ‘Them’ by Joyce Carol Oates, 1970 National Book Award winner.

[Irene]

I am about a third of the way into the novel. Why does it seem like every novel I have read by Oates is so depressing? These families are so dysfunctional, all their little cruelties are not balanced by little kindnesses. The characters all feel so oppressed with life that they seem to give up and just survive in the moment heedless of what pain they might inflict on another. Does Oates' portrayal of American family life reflect some personal experience? What was family life like for her growing up?

[George]

Yes, this is a depressing novel where things seem to continually go wrong. I am over half way and am finding it an easy to follow, engaging book. There are so many tragic events!

I read ‘We were the Mulvaneys’, sixteen years ago and thought it was a good read about the downfall of a family. I also have read ‘Blonde’. ‘Blonde’ is about Marilyn Munro, written in the first person from Marilyn’s perspective. I particularly enjoyed ‘Blonde’.

[Michael]

I have read three of her books and one collection of short stories and I just do not like her writing or her pessimism.

[Irene]

I can't recall the books I have read by her. I am not sure if they are just not memorable to me or if I want to leave them as quickly as I finish them. I wonder if she is this negative in real life. I wonder what shaped her negative view of human relationships, especially of family. I am about 60% into the book and it feels like it will never end. Reading it feels like a penance.

[George]

I am 80% through and Maureen and Jules are wearing me down!

[Irene]

I feel like I need to be drinking something pretty strong in order to deal with this family, but I don't drink during Lent. Should I make an exception to finish this book?

[George]

Well I finished this overly long but engaging novel. (I had to find out what happened to Jules and Maureen).

A tragic, depressing novel about a dysfunctional working class family living in inner Detroit during the period 1937 to 1967.

It is a very eventful book with tragic events happening to the main characters. Loretta and her children, Jules and Maureen are odd characters, easily led. They all become involved with people who behave badly.

Overall, a memorable but deflating reading experience!

I have a couple of unread J C Oates novels on my bookshelf but will delay my reading of them for a while.

[Irene]

I finished last night. It did not work for me. I thought it was over written. Less might have been more. I read the afterword in my novel which said that it was an exploration of the American dream, the grasping for life at any cost, the relentless quest for the middle class. I would never have concluded that from this book. For me it was an account of how families do more harm than good, how individualsselfish and short-sighted behaviors are destructive.

[George]

Thanks for your thoughts Irene. I tend to agree that overall it was an unsatisfying reading experience. I did not gain an appreciation of who Maureen and Jules were. Their life choices were hard to fathom. On the plus side I found the book had good plot momentum. So much happened. However a lot of what occurred was tragic and depressing.

[Irene]

True, things happened, but the characters felt stuck. And, I suppose, I just did not care enough about any of them to care what happened to them.