This is a good book. Not an amazing book, but a good one. Certain stories I wasn't as interested in, or found anti-climatic. I was intrigued by Magda Maria; the descriptions of this woman he was obsessed with, how she changed from being this glamorous, youthful looking woman to basically looking like a cheap prostitute that had aged considerably. The thing was, he was just as entranced by this woman, so much so, that he drives to a hotel and attempts to kill himself with her. It made me sit there wondering WTH kind of people are these, and do they really exist? But it was an intriguing story, as I say.Dear Joyce Carol was entertaining. I don't know whether or not some might look at this story as narcissism (writing about someone being obsessed with you? Sounds a little narcissistic to me) but there was a draw to reading into this psycho-stalker and how he changed suddenly from being your typical obsessed fan into something much more dark and sinister.I also enjoyed reading Dear Husband, the title story, although it was depressing. For everyone who is complaining that this story is depressing - no duh. Read the inside of the cover and you'll see that it's based off of the Andrea Yates case. If that's too much for you, then don't pick up the book. Part of beauty of this was that it made me sad - only a good story can actually make you feel something. This woman truly was suffering. It doesn't paint her as this evil woman that people like to believe she was, but as a woman who was truly suffering from some sort of mental disorder, as you can tell from how the writing flips all over the place and how, out of all things, she agonizes over a destroyed casserole dish.Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy all the stories the way I did the above. Panic, the first story in the book, I found to be kind of dull. Even though the point was that this guy got jealous over his wife choosing to save the baby over him, therefore meaning that "she doesn't love him" and that hey, that truck driver that got shot could have been them - just no. I didn't care. This story didn't do anything for me. I just really didn't care about the characters, how they felt, or anything that happened to them. It was dry and boring, with a moody guy who's upset and throwing a hissy fit over something stupid.The Blind Man's Sighted Daughters wasn't a big hit with me either. They start out talking about how this old man with dementia or Alzheimer's might have been involved in a murder many years ago. Guess what? You never find out. You never know what happens, and it's barely mentioned, except in passing. And that's really the only exciting thing in this story. Sure, it shows difficult caring for a parent can be - though it only does an OK job at that, nothing spectacular- but there's nothing really interesting going on here. The woman's sister shows up from her fancy life and acts high class, like she's doing something good by helping out her poor sister, and then she runs for the hills as soon as things get tough. I waited this whole story for something exciting to happen, particularly with the murder. It never happens.All in all, this book is a mixed bag. If you're looking for sparkly happy ending stories, this book isn't for you. If it doesn't bother you, then you'll probably find something you like in here. Joyce Carol Oates kept coming up in conversation and interviews and seems to inspire a lot of writers, so it was time I read some for myself. I like her stuff. She understands the nuances of family dynamics and garners many 'oh yes! it's just like that!' moments. Sometimes, though, it feels a little bit overcooked, for example 'Dear Husband' the title of the story based on Andrea Yates' murder of her children. Perhaps overcooked is not the right work, perhaps Oates feels a touch vainglorious at times. See 'Dear Joyce Carol'. And then you come across such brilliant paragraphs as the one that opens 'Cutty Sark' and you realise with 'the abruptness of a rifle shot' why she is celebrated. I would like to read some of her earlier writing to compare.
What do You think about Cher époux (2009)?
Emotionally hard-hitting short stories that focus on the dark side of relationships.
—dragonfly
It's on my night stand but i haven't started it yet.
—js92127
