Full disclosure: I only read half of this, the first three stories. I am returning it to the library because I am not in the mood for something so dark right now. I will probably borrow this again in the future and finish the rest of it. I've read some Joyce Carol Oates before- a few short stories (Where are you going, Where have you been? being a very memorable one) and her short novel Zombie, which is the most disturbing book I've ever read. That book is also one of the most memorable things I've read, and one that my husband and I seem to come back to talking about over and over, even though we both read it about 10 years ago. Oates is an amazing writer, but all of the things I've read by her, this book of stories included, are dark and twisted- and not in an "Oh, that's sick and twisted, it entertained me for 5 minutes way" but in sort of a "I am scarred for life and I will never get this image out of my head" way. I think next time I try something by her, it might be one of her human-interest novels, and not the dark stuff. Because when she goes dark, she really goes there- and though I am sometimes up for that, right now I'm not, so I'm not finishing this. It was very well written, but also very intense. Oates' collection of short stories in The Corn Maiden are not traditional horror stories with blood, gore, and monsters, but rather unsettling tales that slowly build up tension. Of the seven stories in the collection, the strongest is The Corn Maiden, a tale of a group of teenage girls attempting an American Indian sacrifice on a classmate; other standouts include A Hole in the Head, about a bizarre medical procedure gone wrong, and Death-Cup - a story about twin brothers forever opposed. The remaining stories are also good, and the collection as a whole serves as a good introduction to Oates' works, most of which are short stories.
What do You think about The Corn Maiden (2012)?
Several stories. Not very scary. Disjointed at times. Didn't like the engings.
—theduchessa
