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A review by slippy_underfoot
48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates
3.0
One morning in 1991 Georgene’s sister, Marguerite (‘M’), leaves the house to go to the university where she teaches art and is never seen again.
Over 48 chapters Georgene, a woman with her own issues, tells of the various ‘clues’ which have accumulated during the 30 years since, and which may point towards her sister’s ultimate fate. She seethes throughout, railing against M and her apparently effortless achievements, the prurient interest of the press and public, and the investigating police and detectives.
People, and their ways, are not Georgene’s thing, and she obfuscates and obliterates potential evidence to - she tells us - protect her sister’s memory.
The prose style is nicely odd, parenthetical and broken in places, which I really liked, suggesting a frantic, occupied, mind. Georgene is not a reliable narrator and is clearly editing her thoughts, and therefore words, on the fly.
The problem I find with this kind of first person narrative is that an author’s skill often bleeds through so much that it ‘breaks character’- the prose becomes too capable to be believable as the work of such a shattered mind. To be fair, JCO keeps this largely under control compared to some other examples I’ve read, but there are occasional flare-ups.
Overall this was an enjoyably dark read.
A solid, well written and well constructed effort of its type, I thought, though I feel like I’ve read more effective stories in this “sketchy narrator” cast over the past year or two.
My first JCO, and I shall likely read more.
Over 48 chapters Georgene, a woman with her own issues, tells of the various ‘clues’ which have accumulated during the 30 years since, and which may point towards her sister’s ultimate fate. She seethes throughout, railing against M and her apparently effortless achievements, the prurient interest of the press and public, and the investigating police and detectives.
People, and their ways, are not Georgene’s thing, and she obfuscates and obliterates potential evidence to - she tells us - protect her sister’s memory.
The prose style is nicely odd, parenthetical and broken in places, which I really liked, suggesting a frantic, occupied, mind. Georgene is not a reliable narrator and is clearly editing her thoughts, and therefore words, on the fly.
The problem I find with this kind of first person narrative is that an author’s skill often bleeds through so much that it ‘breaks character’- the prose becomes too capable to be believable as the work of such a shattered mind. To be fair, JCO keeps this largely under control compared to some other examples I’ve read, but there are occasional flare-ups.
Overall this was an enjoyably dark read.
A solid, well written and well constructed effort of its type, I thought, though I feel like I’ve read more effective stories in this “sketchy narrator” cast over the past year or two.
My first JCO, and I shall likely read more.