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A review by swapacoinforafish
Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Spoilers.
I really don't know how to feel about this book having just finished about 3 minutes ago. I started it perplexed by it's wordyness but somehow felt the pull to keep reading and find out what happens next. After all, this was from all first impressions, a book about murder. The SA details were very graphically described but also not at the same time. It's almost like the violence of the assaults were alluded to, but never actually stated outright.
This, I believed, was the catalyst to some character development from the protagonist. But the fact it did very little to dissuade her from feeling things for this man, and also that it described her as being killed multiple times only to have her not be dead was confusing to me.
I think the babysitter storyline could have been delved into more, instead we were trapped in a hazy head that didn't know what she was experiencing and didn't know what to make of it.
The ending was disappointing considering how much I was expecting from this book. I am not 100% sure whether I hated it or loved it.
I really don't know how to feel about this book having just finished about 3 minutes ago. I started it perplexed by it's wordyness but somehow felt the pull to keep reading and find out what happens next. After all, this was from all first impressions, a book about murder. The SA details were very graphically described but also not at the same time. It's almost like the violence of the assaults were alluded to, but never actually stated outright.
This, I believed, was the catalyst to some character development from the protagonist. But the fact it did very little to dissuade her from feeling things for this man, and also that it described her as being killed multiple times only to have her not be dead was confusing to me.
I think the babysitter storyline could have been delved into more, instead we were trapped in a hazy head that didn't know what she was experiencing and didn't know what to make of it.
The ending was disappointing considering how much I was expecting from this book. I am not 100% sure whether I hated it or loved it.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism