Sourland

Joyce Carol Oates is the type of writer I remember studying in high school.  The readings often ended suddenly and left an open interpretation to the end of the story.  Sourland contains those types of stories.  The dialogue and actions rise toward an apex and then like a balloon suddenly popped, deflate to nothing left for the reader.  Nonetheless, like other Oates work, Sourland is intense and the stories interlink through similar character actions and feelings.  As for the nature of the stories, I found it difficult to relate to the common theme of widows as dysfunctional, weak women.  In Oates' tellings these women are aimless without their mates, unable to be self-sufficient or decisive enough to ask for help.  These women without the presence of a strong male constant in their lives, revert to a childlike state of helplessness and confusion.  Carefully written like Oates' other work, each word seems chosen for the impact and effect it relates to the reader.  Be pulled into these sixteen short stories.