The Neglected and Unloved
Identity crisis? Midlife crisis? Hannah Jarrett has found herself adrift without gravity to pull her in any direction. She is 39 years old, married to a successful business man who no longer seems to feel one way or the other about her, with two young children who seem more dependent on the housekeeper than on her. Hannah tumbles from depression to paranoia to ecstasy without the pretense she is in control.
The ecstasy comes from a dubious source. A mysterious man has entered the picture during a time she is at her most vulnerable. With a seductive confidence he approaches her and tells her to meet at his room for a rendezvous. Hannah finds herself driving to his hotel, takes the room key from the front desk, rides the long ride up the elevator, and takes the long walk down the aisle to confront a hanging "Do Not Disturb" sign. Joyce Carol Oates has made this more than a journey from point A to point-- we are privy to every doubt in Hannah's mind. Is this the right thing to do? No, of course this is wrong and could lead to disaster... but it can not be wrong to want to be desired. Sex does not even seem to be the point-- it is the affection she is crying out for.
The Babysitter is the name coined for a serial killer who is victimizing young children in the area. As a mother herself, Hannah has the normal expected concerns for her children, but the killer has not been preying on families in well-to-do properties such as hers. She tells herself the Babysitter takes only the neglected and unloved. The plotlines do mesh, of course, as cruel and suspicious characters emerge to further the mystery.
There is a brutal streak in this book, necessary but appalling-- particularly the sexual savagery and the abuse to the children. We are dealing with monsters here. This is just a heads-up, expounding would circle the spoiler area.
"The Babysitter" runs a little deliberate at times, especially given the "thriller" tag, but Oates has meticulously portrayed real flesh and blood characters. Hannah is sympathetic, if not very admirable, in her helplessness. At one point she is told a string of pearls has lost most of its value after being neglected and unloved for too long-- and that is pretty much the way she sees herself. Her flaw is in having learned to validate her worth through the eyes of others, men particularly.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Identity crisis? Midlife crisis? Hannah Jarrett has found herself adrift without gravity to pull her in any direction. She is 39 years old, married to a successful business man who no longer seems to feel one way or the other about her, with two young children who seem more dependent on the housekeeper than on her. Hannah tumbles from depression to paranoia to ecstasy without the pretense she is in control.
The ecstasy comes from a dubious source. A mysterious man has entered the picture during a time she is at her most vulnerable. With a seductive confidence he approaches her and tells her to meet at his room for a rendezvous. Hannah finds herself driving to his hotel, takes the room key from the front desk, rides the long ride up the elevator, and takes the long walk down the aisle to confront a hanging "Do Not Disturb" sign. Joyce Carol Oates has made this more than a journey from point A to point-- we are privy to every doubt in Hannah's mind. Is this the right thing to do? No, of course this is wrong and could lead to disaster... but it can not be wrong to want to be desired. Sex does not even seem to be the point-- it is the affection she is crying out for.
The Babysitter is the name coined for a serial killer who is victimizing young children in the area. As a mother herself, Hannah has the normal expected concerns for her children, but the killer has not been preying on families in well-to-do properties such as hers. She tells herself the Babysitter takes only the neglected and unloved. The plotlines do mesh, of course, as cruel and suspicious characters emerge to further the mystery.
There is a brutal streak in this book, necessary but appalling-- particularly the sexual savagery and the abuse to the children. We are dealing with monsters here. This is just a heads-up, expounding would circle the spoiler area.
"The Babysitter" runs a little deliberate at times, especially given the "thriller" tag, but Oates has meticulously portrayed real flesh and blood characters. Hannah is sympathetic, if not very admirable, in her helplessness. At one point she is told a string of pearls has lost most of its value after being neglected and unloved for too long-- and that is pretty much the way she sees herself. Her flaw is in having learned to validate her worth through the eyes of others, men particularly.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
