Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed" Buddy Read Part 2 - 2013

Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed" - 2013

As already announced in my Hello September post, and my Buddy Read post, Lisa @Capitvated Reader and myself are hosting a buddy read this month. And here is Lisa's post. Have a look at her review, there is a lot more to this part than what I have said.

Spoiler alert:

A buddy read like this cannot be as vague as many of my other reviews. On the other hand, I can't hide everything, so I will have to talk about this book as if I were in a book club and we all read the book.

Therefore, I will be quite open in the next couple of weeks but will, at the end, write a description of the whole book in the way you are all used to. So, if you haven't read the book but still would like to, be patient, I'll get there.

I am not a big fan of fantasy or fantastic, mythical figures. I probably wouldn't have even looked at the book were it not by one of my favourite authors and for a dear blogger friend who invited me to join her buddy read.

Week 2 (Oct 9–Oct 16)

• Historical cameos; the eerie Bog Kingdom; social satire

• Part Two: The Curse Incarnate: Explores the spreading supernatural afflictions and social paranoia across elite families and historical figures.

So, we find out what and who Axton Mayte really is. Annabel is not his first victim, as she finds out when he brings her to his hidden "castle". The Bog Kingdom is where he can live out his real character, abuse the women he abducted, reduce them to the lowest status possible. And create more demons like himself.

I still don't see this as a vampire story. Or a ghost story. I think we are warned that the more we believe in something like "the curse", the more we will end up in a bad situation. Like if you think Friday the 13th is unlucky, something will happen that proves you right. You are over-careful and start tripping, for example.

Another question by LitLovers:

Are we to suppose that they "happen" to the fictional characters in the course of the story? Or are we to gather they are the result of the characters' subconscious? Are they dreams? In other words, is this realistic fiction...or fantasy?

I think I mentioned it before. I am a very rational person and don't believe in fantasy. So, I am pretty sure this is the latter. People work each other up, or - as we say in German - they bump each other up while swinging. One person mentions a curse, the next one thinks it is the truth and looks for something that will prove it.

I still think it is highly interesting to see what people wish to believe.

For me, Josiah is the real hero, at least of this chapter. He tries to help with logic, tries to understand what really happened. Though, even he is not sure what to believe. Which shows how much hysteria is contagious.

We also meet up with some more historic figures. I had read about Woodrow Wilson in other books before and had a positive opinion of him. That has, unfortunately, changed with his vie to slaves and black people. Yes, it might have been the time he lived in and also the area he grew up in but that doesn't mean he should have had that opinion. After all, there were people in the South and in that timeframe that helped slaves escape.

After reading a few books about Mark Twain, where he travels Europe, I had not a good opinion about him and that has not changed at all. He is portrayed as the conceited snob I have read about before.

Okay, I think that is it for today. There is so much in this book, I doubt I can give it perfect credit.

Book Description:

"This eerie tale of psychological horror sees the real inhabitants of turn-of-the-century Princeton fall under the influence of a supernatural power. New Jersey, 1905: soon-to-be commander-in-chief Woodrow Wilson is president of Princeton University. On a nearby farm, Socialist author Upton Sinclair, enjoying the success of his novel 'The Jungle', has taken up residence with his family. This is a quiet, bookish community - elite, intellectual and indisputably privileged. But when a savage lynching in a nearby town is hushed up, a horrifying chain of events is initiated - until it becomes apparent that the families of Princeton have been beset by a powerful curse. The Devil has come to this little town and not a soul will be spared. 'The Accursed' marks new territory for the masterful Joyce Carol Oates - narrated with her unmistakable psychological insight, it combines beautifully transporting historical detail with chilling fantastical elements to stunning effect."