A review by madame_de_rosemonde
Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book!  I read it during 2021, but I still think about it.  I forget character names, but the people's lives stay with me.  The mom, searching to find who she really is after so many years of being a wife and mother, the youngest son, figuring out his true self; the youngest daughter, coming to terms with the life she has chosen and wondering whether to change it.  Then there are the pricklier characters -- the awful principal daughter, the bitter daughter, the full-of-himself son -- all of whom, as I remember, do get arcs and find ways to grow, even if they are less than perfect.

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