Expensive People

I think Oates is often brilliant and some of her earlier works are among her finest. This book is the second in her Wonderland Quartet, published in 1968. This one explores affluent characters and their suburban, mid-century lifestyle. Specifically, it examines a family - mother, father, son. It is a first-person narrative written from the perspective of the son, now an 18-year old, writing a “memoir”, his story of events at age 8 and age 11. It is chaotic, violent, disturbing, confusing. It feels real, delusional, unsafe, insane. I am awed by Oates’ ability to put herself and us in the deeply disturbed mind of this child. What is real? What is not? This one will haunt me for a while.

„Minden, amit legépelek, hazugsággá változik, egyszerűen azért, mert nem az igazság.”

Diszfunkcionális kapcsolat két szeretettelen szülővel, akik úgy néznek rá nap mint nap egy szem gyermekükre, mintha csodálkoznának, mit keres még itt egyáltalán. Aztán persze időnként robbanásszerűen kompenzálják ezt a hidegséget, amivel csak kezelhetetlenebbé teszik a helyzetet. Ugye Tolsztoj óta tudjuk (hogy Tolsztoj előtt tudták-e, arról nem szól a fáma): a boldogtalan családok mind különbözőek, amit az írók köszönnek szépen, mert ezzel az irodalom kimeríthetetlen tématárát teremtik meg. Oates könyve is egy félresikerült, mérgező családmodell felvázolása, de nem ez adja specialitását, show more hanem az elbeszélés milyensége. Hogy adott egy krónikás (a fenn említett egy szem gyermek), aki a regényidő felét azzal tölti, hogy biztosítja olvasóját önmaga tökéletes őszinteségéről, arról, hogy amit elmond, az úgy és csakis úgy történt meg, IGAZ, amennyire csak egy személyes interpretáció igaz lehet. Közben meg ez a küzdelem szélmalomharc, hisz az olvasó jól tudja, a borítóra az vala írva: Joyce Carol Oates, magyarán amit a kezében tart, tőrőlmetszett fikció. Vajon meg tudja-e győzni egy nyilvánvaló fikció főhőse saját olvasóját, hogy ő nem is fikció? Ha igen, az aztán brutális irodalmi bravúr: egy, a valósággal egyenértékű irodalmi tér megteremtése. És Oates elég közel jár ehhez.

Úgy nagyjából 100 oldalig úgy véltem, ez biza öt csillag lesz. Aztán később kicsit elkezdtem unni. Nem veszettül unni, inkább csak úgy mondanám, az unalom alig kivehető dohszaga kezdett terjengeni az olvasmányélmény piciny szobácskájában. Gondolkodtam is, miért. Talán azért, mert miután az ember megértette, mire megy ki a játék, mire ez a metaregénykedés, valahogy maga a játék veszít jelentőségéből – ilyenkor kéne a történetnek átvennie az irányítást. De nem veszi át. A cselekmény mintha végig másodlagos lenne az írói bravúrkodás mögött. Legalábbis ennek tudom be, hogy a végkifejlet nálam nem katarzisba torkollt, legfeljebb langyos elismerésbe. show less

The 2nd in her "Wonderland Quartet," this is a dark, often digressive, suspenseful, satiric, weird novel that reminded me at times of The Secret History (which it predates, of course, by decades). While the plot itself feels a little strained at times, the reader is reassured that you are in the hands of an insightful writer when you run across passages like this:

It occurred to me then that music was like eating, and both of them were like sleep: something to do that drew you into it, hadn’t anything to do with you as a person. You could inhabit the vacuum of your freedom like a fly buzzing aimlessly in a locked car, and not worry about getting out or about what you should be doing since you couldn’t do anything anyway until you did show more get out.

I'm enjoying early Oates and will most likely read the last two novels in the quartet (Them and Wonderland). show less

I must really love tragic tales about messed up people. I wonder if this reflects on me at all? This book is one of Oates earlier works and is part of the Wonderland Quartet. The quartet is a group of individual novels with an underlying common theme. These books explore social class by delving deep into a character growing up in America. Sounds like many books you've heard of? Well this is done by Oates and with each book my awe of her writing and stories grows. She understands that humans are not perfect but that society tries to bend us a certain way (especially Americans).

What made me put this in one of my favorites was her unique way on conveying the character. She writes this as a memoir and the way she does it isn't necessarily show more convincing but enchanting? It's hard to describe. One of my favorite parts of the book was when she had Richard writing fake reviews for his fake memoir. This had me laughing, which isn't my usual reaction to anything I've read by her yet. She calls out every reviewer, imitates their style and then mocks them completely showing us how complete shit reviews can be (especially the ones selected for book jackets). This was such a small and insignificant part of the book but also develops the character in such a creative way. Richard stops to comment on his own work, explain something or even add which made him even more real.

I can't wait to continue on the Quartet but it seems "Them" is not available on ebook anywhere! I guess I'll have to search the libraries or used book stores. show less

An early (i968) work by this author; I'd say her writing got stronger in her later works, but this is still pretty compelling., as the 18 year old narrator loks back on his 11 year old self and begins "I was a child murderer."
Child of dysfunctional parents- a financially successful father and a beautiful, faithless and phony author mother- I felt Oates created the whole "feel" of being eleven very well.Country club social events, private school, a maid....and mother always on the cusp of walking out. The uncertainty and constant tension cause the child to develop eating problems...and much more.
Not brilliant like some of her works, but very good...

I wouldn't say that I particularly liked or disliked this book, I found it more interesting than anything else. It's very postmodern--having a short story in the middle of the novel, that kind of thing. I would rather this book tell me the story in a more straight-forward way. At times the book seems like an exercise in intelligence for the author.

Expensive People by Joyce Carol Oates is the second book in the Wonderland Series, a thematically linked set of four novels. It is a faux memoir told from the perspective of adolescent Richard Everett of his terrible childhood which culminates in him committing a murder. (This isn't a spoiler, this information is given in the first chapter)

Although I really didn't love A Garden of Earthly Delights, the first book in this series, I felt compelled to read the second book, hoping that it would redeem the series.....and, yes, I was disappointed again. I did not feel compassion for any of the characters because they all felt wooden to me. The plotline felt disjointed and was frankly a bit boring. Perhaps this was Oates intention, after all show more it is supposed a black comedy about wealthy suburbanites set in the 60's. The words wooden, disjointed and boring might be apt descriptions of the reality, but I feel that the author should be able to create characters and a plot in which these mechanisms serve to enhance the reader's interest and evoke emotion rather than to dull the readers senses. Additionally, although this was intended as a black comedy, it felt more like a bitter commentary and missed the mark there as well.

I must admit I was the victim of good cover art when I bought these books. And yet, I will read "them," the third book in the series because it was one of the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die, I am strangely curious about just how unfulfilling it will be. show less