I don't know what it is about Joyce Carol Oates, but damn she's wordy. All throughout this book she just continuously repeats herself, not just a line here or there but whole passages. It's almost like she thinks we've forgotten something from two chapters ago.
Babysitter was described as a "a novel about love and deceit, and lust and redemption, set against a backdrop of child murders in the affluent suburbs of Detroit."
That description drew me in, child murders in the 70s in Detroit? Yeah, sounds like something I'd pick up. But apparently that loosely translates to "40 year old, wannabe socialite has an affair." The main character, Hannah, starts an affair that goes on for literally the entire book. I mean it's a central part of the story and it's BORING.
I just really don't have a lot of good things to say about this book. There's a lot of masochism mixed with sexual assault, racism and police brutality, and a weird mix of religious undertones. It just wasn't something that I enjoyed.
Looking for other books by Joyce Carol Oates?
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