this was my first novel by Oates & I was excited because I love her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," but this book was a huge disappointment. I was intrigued at first by the structure & writing style. It kind of read as like flashbacks that kept getting expanding every chapter, but then it just felt very repetitive and confusing. also Hannah is so incredibly unlikable I just couldn't bring myself to care about her life -- I don't want to be in her racist, passive aggressive mind for 400+ pages! anyway... not a great first novel to read by her... :/