772. Marya

Marya
Joyce Carol Oates
1986
Around 320 pages

This a lesser known Joyce Carol Oates work, and it's kind of easy to see why. She's a talented writer, so of course there is still quality here, but it just didn't grab me as anything remarkably original. And since she goes on to write greater works, this doesn't feel like an essential addition to the List.

Marya Knauer suffers the early violent death of her father and abandonment by her mother, leaving her with a permanent sense of dislocation and loss. Marya aspires to be a successful writer and is determined to find the mother who gave her away. 

Oates always dives deeply into the psychology of her characters, making for a very real and intense reading experience. I didn't like Marya, which made the 320 pages drag a little. It's hard to not get frustrated when characters are constantly sabotaging themselves.

Not really an improvement from Them, but you'll enjoy it if you click with Oates' dark style.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Oates writes in longhand, working from "8 till 1 everyday, then again for two or three hours in the evening."

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