Heather B

I’ve read Joyce Carol Oates before and enjoyed her short stories. This book fell flat for me. The premise for the stories are really good and I got really invested in them…until the ending that didn’t quite stick the landing for me. I was left wanting more of the story. I kept reading to see if there was a diamond in the rough but honestly, I wish I’d read something else instead. I’m sure there’s a reason why she keeps names anonymous in her stories but it sort of seems lazy to me. Again, I may be ignorant on the matter but it’s distracting to read Mrs. _____, Dr. N_____, Dr. T_____, etc. Maybe she wants us to fill in the name but every time I see it, I can’t help be pulled from the story to be irritated at the lack of a name for a character. She’s a good writer though. As stated previously, I’ve enjoyed other books of hers.