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We're back in Ardnakelty, the small Irish village where retired Chicago policeman Cal thought he'd get away from big-city strife. But grudges and rivalries seethe under the surface. When a young woman is murdered, Cal can't help investigating, but Lena, his girlfriend, is against his involvement. Her sister runs the market and serves as a font of gossip. Trey, the rebellious girl he's mentored, is growing up. Will she flee the village or stay put as a skilled woodworker? This book is a marvel of cultural insights, as well as letting us into Cal's strategic thinking. Third in a series and I hope more will come.
This novel tells a lamentably familiar story: a student named Waldo and her teacher, Mr. Korgy, get involved. The wrinkle: Waldo seduces him, and he’s a sitting duck for her lures. Such a tangle of emotions --rage, lust, loneliness--leads to such a mess. Her sad-sack paramour ultimately abandons his domestic life for her, but (no surprise), there's no happily -ever- after, as Waldo becomes disenchanted and just wants freedom.
A mix of chilling and funny, in turn.
When Eliza's husband dies, the world she's counted on collapses. Her long marriage, their small house in Texas, gone, gone, gone. No money, and no vocation. Also, she discovers that her husband had a secret family. In desperation, she fetches up at the eponymous motel, works there for her keep, and doggedly takes a course at a business college. What a trooper! Denizens of the motel and fellow students become friends and supporters, as well they should. Eliza is an original; modest but just underneath, strong of heart and spirit. A quiet, deeply satisfying read, set in the mid-'60s.
Mr. Fox is a very popular English teacher at an exclusive school, especially with the girls. He singles out a few pretty, prepubescent ones for special attention, which we learn includes drugging, then abusing them "tenderly." The setting: New Jersey where a nature preserve and the disgusting dump are cheek by jowl. Oates brings the high emotions and paradoxes of human existence into bold relief: predator vs prey, town vs gown, inquiry vs denial. It's a long, intense workout of a read, and I was mesmerized throughout.
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