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L'occhio del male
In questa raccolta Joyce Carol Oates offre al lettore quattro racconti sull’amore, mostrando fino a che punto possono arrivare le persone per trovarlo, tenerlo e a volte mettervi fine, e continua la sua esplorazione degli angoli più bui e disturbanti della natura umana. Nel primo racconto della raccolta incontriamo Mariana, la quarta giovane moglie di un noto intellettuale. Quando una notte la sfacciata prima moglie del marito va da loro, Mariana scopre una terribile verità che minaccia il suo matrimonio e la sua stessa sanità mentale. Allo stesso modo tutte le storie che compongono la raccolta raccontano legami d’amore in cui la tensione, il segreto, la violenza dei legami e delle passioni catturano il lettore in una suspense continua.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2013
170 people are currently reading
1948 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
854 books9,623 followersJoyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
August 24, 2017
A prolific writer, her fans will love this latest work. Her style of writing uses no contrivances to make her point. The plots are simple, but they take the imagination places that one does not see coming, that one does not expect. Oates does not exaggerate ideas to grab your interest, she merely weaves a tale that, while plausible, is also almost unbearable, bordering on revolting and reprehensible sometimes, and yet, she makes it possible to read the stories without getting up and tossing the book in disgust.
The four novellas are related in a spare prose that leaves nothing to the imagination and yet takes creativity to its limits with each story getting more and more grotesque and bizarre, yet each one is, sadly, in the realm of possibility. Simply using her gift, her ability to mold language into the shape she desires, she has constructed four short works about dysfunctional relationships and dysfunctional people, who are sometimes products of their environments, their relationships and even sometimes, simply products of their own evil nature. It is about the inability of people to either communicate accurately or to comprehend what someone is really communicating to them. They put a spin on things that puts them in the best light, rather than the harsh light of reality. They live in a world of ambiguity, fantasy, rather than clarity. Are they sane or insane? Are they simply unhappy, lost souls, who are products of their environments, innocent, in the end, of all wrongdoing and inappropriate thought? Are things what they actually seem to be? Can the characters trust what they see, or more accurately, what they think they see and surmise about each other? Is what appears to be the truth actually the truth or just perception?
Oates spotlights the inability of people to deal directly with issues, the tendency to run from the truth and try to hide from it or hide it from the outside world. The stories are all about relationships and they question which of the partners is the more “broken” in each of the relationships. Sometimes, both are broken beyond repair. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who has lost touch and who is living in reality. However, all of the stories are about diabolical desires for someone’s deep discomfort or ultimate demise. In all of the stories, the need to have authority is key, the men believe themselves to be the stronger, the more righteous, and the one that should be in charge, with or without fact-based reasons. This latest book gets its title from the first of its four novellas, actually, the one that is least horrific. With each novella, the malevolence grows.
In “Evil Eye”, it is easy to conceive of the relationship between Marianna and her three decades younger husband, Austin. She is an insecure young woman, saddened and deeply troubled by the loss of her parents and is having difficulty coping. He is a man, well-known, worldly and very capable in public life, who needs to be adored, and she fits the bill. He seems to be very authoritarian. Unfortunately, as their relationship grows, so does her discomfort with him. The tale leaves the reader with the distinct question in their mind about who is losing their sanity, Marianna or her husband? Whose imagination and personality is running wild and out of hand? Is the husband the great manipulator she believes or is her mind perceiving things that are pure fantasy? “So Near, Anytime, Always”, begins with another seemingly innocent and insecure young, woman. Lizbeth meets Desmond at the public library. He is handsome, well dressed and seems older and wiser than she. She has never had a relationship or a boyfriend, and she is so flattered when he waits outside the library for her that she pursues a friendship with him, which as it develops, veers into dangerous territory that she feels she cannot admit to herself or her family. Des appears to be from an upper class family of good background, but is kind of secretive and controlling. What does he really feel for her, she wonders, as he begins to appear more and more in the shadows, even as she wants to distance herself from him? What kind of person is he, really? Will she escape from his hold on her or will he stay with her in her memory, forever altering the way she lives her life?
“The Execution” is about a terribly maladjusted young adult, emotionally and mentally disturbed his whole life, coddled by a too liberal system that tries to understand and explain away the behavior rather than comprehend the nature of the mental illness, rather than facing it, instead running away, hiding from it until the world runs headlong into a possibly preventable tragic event which exhibits the results of their stupidity, when he goes mad and commits a heinous crime! This story is really about madness, about viewing the world through a false lens and interpreting events incorrectly because of an inability to process information properly. It too, is about the madness in men, their frailty and foolishness, their need for control, their need to be right, an inability to see their own faults and wrong doing. It is also about the unrealistic, weak behavior of some women, who show no common sense, who keep secrets when they should share their lives openly in order to protect someone undeserved and be maternal in the face of danger, and instead, in trying to avoid the consequences of disclosure, they later suffer them. I was left wondering if Bart Hansen was stuck in an Oedipal conflict, competing with his father for authority and control, and losing in that effort, also losing his hold on reality?
In the fourth and final novella, “The Flatbed” we meet a young woman, Cielle, (Cecilia) imagining someone referred to as “G”, chained to a flatbed truck, on his way to the slaughterhouse. She wonders if the man knows that he is destined to die? She is in a relationship with a man who is her superior (as in all the other novellas, the woman is weaker), though not her boss, referred to as “N”. They work together. She thinks she loves this man, years older than she, and he loves her. She, however, is frigid and trembles, shivers, shakes and cannot consummate the act of lovemaking or even tolerate an internal exam. He, in his love and devotion to her insists that she tells him her secret, what is terrifying her, what is holding her back from being in a normal relationship? He is kind to her, tries to be patient and understanding, but he says he must know her secret, but can she tell? She has never told anyone that something shameful happened to her as a child, something that she is so ashamed of it prevents her from being in a healthy relationship or even to have a complete physical exam with a doctor. In the end, Cecelia and “N”, now have a different secret that they can never tell.
This author is a genius at creating mystery and suspense in somewhat “unbelievable” narratives, that incredibly, become believable narratives. The prose is simple, readable and magnetic. It almost forcibly grips and captures the reader's complete attention and imagination.
In the end, all of the stories are about destructive behavior, violent behavior or thoughts, violence which, although it begins in fantasy, often becomes reality, violence that if the symptoms of these dysfunctional people were recognized and dealt with more realistically, in a more grounded, sensible way, treating them rather than excusing them, might never have occurred and the characters might just have gone on to lead happy, successful and fruitful lives.
The four novellas are related in a spare prose that leaves nothing to the imagination and yet takes creativity to its limits with each story getting more and more grotesque and bizarre, yet each one is, sadly, in the realm of possibility. Simply using her gift, her ability to mold language into the shape she desires, she has constructed four short works about dysfunctional relationships and dysfunctional people, who are sometimes products of their environments, their relationships and even sometimes, simply products of their own evil nature. It is about the inability of people to either communicate accurately or to comprehend what someone is really communicating to them. They put a spin on things that puts them in the best light, rather than the harsh light of reality. They live in a world of ambiguity, fantasy, rather than clarity. Are they sane or insane? Are they simply unhappy, lost souls, who are products of their environments, innocent, in the end, of all wrongdoing and inappropriate thought? Are things what they actually seem to be? Can the characters trust what they see, or more accurately, what they think they see and surmise about each other? Is what appears to be the truth actually the truth or just perception?
Oates spotlights the inability of people to deal directly with issues, the tendency to run from the truth and try to hide from it or hide it from the outside world. The stories are all about relationships and they question which of the partners is the more “broken” in each of the relationships. Sometimes, both are broken beyond repair. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who has lost touch and who is living in reality. However, all of the stories are about diabolical desires for someone’s deep discomfort or ultimate demise. In all of the stories, the need to have authority is key, the men believe themselves to be the stronger, the more righteous, and the one that should be in charge, with or without fact-based reasons. This latest book gets its title from the first of its four novellas, actually, the one that is least horrific. With each novella, the malevolence grows.
In “Evil Eye”, it is easy to conceive of the relationship between Marianna and her three decades younger husband, Austin. She is an insecure young woman, saddened and deeply troubled by the loss of her parents and is having difficulty coping. He is a man, well-known, worldly and very capable in public life, who needs to be adored, and she fits the bill. He seems to be very authoritarian. Unfortunately, as their relationship grows, so does her discomfort with him. The tale leaves the reader with the distinct question in their mind about who is losing their sanity, Marianna or her husband? Whose imagination and personality is running wild and out of hand? Is the husband the great manipulator she believes or is her mind perceiving things that are pure fantasy? “So Near, Anytime, Always”, begins with another seemingly innocent and insecure young, woman. Lizbeth meets Desmond at the public library. He is handsome, well dressed and seems older and wiser than she. She has never had a relationship or a boyfriend, and she is so flattered when he waits outside the library for her that she pursues a friendship with him, which as it develops, veers into dangerous territory that she feels she cannot admit to herself or her family. Des appears to be from an upper class family of good background, but is kind of secretive and controlling. What does he really feel for her, she wonders, as he begins to appear more and more in the shadows, even as she wants to distance herself from him? What kind of person is he, really? Will she escape from his hold on her or will he stay with her in her memory, forever altering the way she lives her life?
“The Execution” is about a terribly maladjusted young adult, emotionally and mentally disturbed his whole life, coddled by a too liberal system that tries to understand and explain away the behavior rather than comprehend the nature of the mental illness, rather than facing it, instead running away, hiding from it until the world runs headlong into a possibly preventable tragic event which exhibits the results of their stupidity, when he goes mad and commits a heinous crime! This story is really about madness, about viewing the world through a false lens and interpreting events incorrectly because of an inability to process information properly. It too, is about the madness in men, their frailty and foolishness, their need for control, their need to be right, an inability to see their own faults and wrong doing. It is also about the unrealistic, weak behavior of some women, who show no common sense, who keep secrets when they should share their lives openly in order to protect someone undeserved and be maternal in the face of danger, and instead, in trying to avoid the consequences of disclosure, they later suffer them. I was left wondering if Bart Hansen was stuck in an Oedipal conflict, competing with his father for authority and control, and losing in that effort, also losing his hold on reality?
In the fourth and final novella, “The Flatbed” we meet a young woman, Cielle, (Cecilia) imagining someone referred to as “G”, chained to a flatbed truck, on his way to the slaughterhouse. She wonders if the man knows that he is destined to die? She is in a relationship with a man who is her superior (as in all the other novellas, the woman is weaker), though not her boss, referred to as “N”. They work together. She thinks she loves this man, years older than she, and he loves her. She, however, is frigid and trembles, shivers, shakes and cannot consummate the act of lovemaking or even tolerate an internal exam. He, in his love and devotion to her insists that she tells him her secret, what is terrifying her, what is holding her back from being in a normal relationship? He is kind to her, tries to be patient and understanding, but he says he must know her secret, but can she tell? She has never told anyone that something shameful happened to her as a child, something that she is so ashamed of it prevents her from being in a healthy relationship or even to have a complete physical exam with a doctor. In the end, Cecelia and “N”, now have a different secret that they can never tell.
This author is a genius at creating mystery and suspense in somewhat “unbelievable” narratives, that incredibly, become believable narratives. The prose is simple, readable and magnetic. It almost forcibly grips and captures the reader's complete attention and imagination.
In the end, all of the stories are about destructive behavior, violent behavior or thoughts, violence which, although it begins in fantasy, often becomes reality, violence that if the symptoms of these dysfunctional people were recognized and dealt with more realistically, in a more grounded, sensible way, treating them rather than excusing them, might never have occurred and the characters might just have gone on to lead happy, successful and fruitful lives.
June 11, 2023
” Se sollevi una pietra, quello che vedi strisciare freneticamente lì sotto è la natura umana, per lo più.”
- "Malocchio"
- "Cosi vicino. In ogni momento"
- "L’esecuzione"
- "Il pianale"
Questi i titoli dei quattro racconti.
Quattro note stonate.
Stridono e quello che dovrebbe essere un canto sull’amore esce fuori distorto al punto che fa male sentirlo.
In "Malocchio" una giovane donna, debilitata dal dolore per la morte improvvisa di entrambi i genitori, sposa un uomo di trent’anni più vecchio.
Un uomo stimato, irreprensibile ma si può essere certi di quello che vedono i nostri occhi?
La stessa domanda viene posta alla sedicenne protagonista del secondo racconto – “Cosi vicino. In ogni momento” – così ansiosa di avere finalmente un fidanzato.
Così quando Desmond Parrish le rivolge la parola stenta a crederci e rimane cieca di fronte ad alcuni strani comportamenti..
Questa breve raccolta contiene una sorta di climax strutturale: assistiamo, infatti, ad una tensione crescente ad ogni storia.
La terza – “L’esecuzione”- alza, sicuramente, il tiro.
Qui non ci troviamo di fronte ad una relazione di coppia ma al male vero e proprio che c’è in un figlio e il suo rapporto malato con i genitori…
Si arriva così al finale ("Il pianle") dove Ceille, la protagonsita, rivela all’uomo che ama gli abusi subiti da bambina ma si può rimediare al male fatto?
Incredibile Oates che come sempre sa raccontare il torbido e il lato oscuro dell’animo umano.
”Il suo amore per N. non era più qualcosa di separato che potesse staccare da sé e tenere a distanza per contemplarlo.
Il suo amore per N. si era fatto spazio dentro di lei.
Il suo amore per N. era inseparabile dalla sua paura di lui.”
- "Malocchio"
- "Cosi vicino. In ogni momento"
- "L’esecuzione"
- "Il pianale"
Questi i titoli dei quattro racconti.
Quattro note stonate.
Stridono e quello che dovrebbe essere un canto sull’amore esce fuori distorto al punto che fa male sentirlo.
In "Malocchio" una giovane donna, debilitata dal dolore per la morte improvvisa di entrambi i genitori, sposa un uomo di trent’anni più vecchio.
Un uomo stimato, irreprensibile ma si può essere certi di quello che vedono i nostri occhi?
La stessa domanda viene posta alla sedicenne protagonista del secondo racconto – “Cosi vicino. In ogni momento” – così ansiosa di avere finalmente un fidanzato.
Così quando Desmond Parrish le rivolge la parola stenta a crederci e rimane cieca di fronte ad alcuni strani comportamenti..
Questa breve raccolta contiene una sorta di climax strutturale: assistiamo, infatti, ad una tensione crescente ad ogni storia.
La terza – “L’esecuzione”- alza, sicuramente, il tiro.
Qui non ci troviamo di fronte ad una relazione di coppia ma al male vero e proprio che c’è in un figlio e il suo rapporto malato con i genitori…
Si arriva così al finale ("Il pianle") dove Ceille, la protagonsita, rivela all’uomo che ama gli abusi subiti da bambina ma si può rimediare al male fatto?
Incredibile Oates che come sempre sa raccontare il torbido e il lato oscuro dell’animo umano.
”Il suo amore per N. non era più qualcosa di separato che potesse staccare da sé e tenere a distanza per contemplarlo.
Il suo amore per N. si era fatto spazio dentro di lei.
Il suo amore per N. era inseparabile dalla sua paura di lui.”
December 4, 2013
Each of these four novellas features an insecure woman, and a manipulative man who has an inner creepy side to him. "So Near...Any Time...Always" shows a shy teenage girl who meets a man in his twenties. At first she is flattered by his attention, but then he is always lurking in the shadows with his camera...and worse. In "The Execution," a male college student plots to kill his father, and his overprotective mother acts to shield her son from the law. "The Flatbed" involves a woman who had a "little secret" that she had been sexually abused as a child. When she gets revenge, she has a new secret. My favorite was the title story, "Evil Eye," about a timid fourth wife who finds that her husband is not the charismatic man she married when he shows his domineering, angry side. After she finds out some terrible information from his first wife, her mind runs wild. The reader wonders what is truth and what is imagination.
All four of these novellas have a Gothic feel to them, horror stories with a twist. Some of the characters are mentally ill. The truly scary thing about these well-written stories is that they seem so realistic--newspaper stories feature the same types of abusers and manipulators who mistreat the fragile people who love them.
All four of these novellas have a Gothic feel to them, horror stories with a twist. Some of the characters are mentally ill. The truly scary thing about these well-written stories is that they seem so realistic--newspaper stories feature the same types of abusers and manipulators who mistreat the fragile people who love them.
August 23, 2016
I'm a huge JCO fan and I generally compare her books to her other works because they are unique. This group of stories was less creepy (?) than I was expecting but gripping anyway. The first few stories felt very different than her style. The first story would be a great novella, the second (if love to see what Jonathan Carroll would do) was stunning. The third, while being intensely good, I didn't understand the end and the last was a tad generic. Thus the 4 stars.
February 26, 2023
Che Joyce Carol Oates era un'autrice da approfondire l'avevo capito leggendo Bestie, un romanzo breve ma sapientemente caustico.
In questa breve antologia il fil rouge, come già suggerisce il titolo, è il male. Quello che alberga nei cuori delle persone più insospettabili e sfocia in amori malati o famiglie disfunzionali.
Oates ha il dono di saper conferire un tocco realistico a ogni storia che, in verità, è puro frutto del suo talento narrativo. Pensavo sarebbero stati racconti al cardiopalma caratterizzati da una forte suspense, invece, l'elemento che le accomuna è l'essere profondamente disturbanti.
Malocchio ⭐⭐⭐
Così vicino in ogni momento ⭐⭐⭐⭐
L'esecuzione ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Il pianale ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In questa breve antologia il fil rouge, come già suggerisce il titolo, è il male. Quello che alberga nei cuori delle persone più insospettabili e sfocia in amori malati o famiglie disfunzionali.
Oates ha il dono di saper conferire un tocco realistico a ogni storia che, in verità, è puro frutto del suo talento narrativo. Pensavo sarebbero stati racconti al cardiopalma caratterizzati da una forte suspense, invece, l'elemento che le accomuna è l'essere profondamente disturbanti.
Malocchio ⭐⭐⭐
Così vicino in ogni momento ⭐⭐⭐⭐
L'esecuzione ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Il pianale ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 3, 2022
Voglio leggere tutto della Oates. Tutto tutto tutto!
February 7, 2024
Four mesmerizing novellas, that seemed to me more like longer short stories. But whatever they are, they are a beautiful Noire rendition of "gone wrong", and not necessarily of love gone wrong as the title suggests.
In each of the novellas there is a central character to which the "gone wrong" applies. As is characteristic of the great masters of the Noire, and Simenon obviously comes to mind, here too in each of the stories we are witnesses to an unravelling that affects the central character, whether the unravelling is his or he is implacably drawn into it to the point of losing control.
So far I have only read the magnificent We Were the Mulvaneys. Having read this I will definitely be reading much more of Joyce Carol Oates.
In each of the novellas there is a central character to which the "gone wrong" applies. As is characteristic of the great masters of the Noire, and Simenon obviously comes to mind, here too in each of the stories we are witnesses to an unravelling that affects the central character, whether the unravelling is his or he is implacably drawn into it to the point of losing control.
So far I have only read the magnificent We Were the Mulvaneys. Having read this I will definitely be reading much more of Joyce Carol Oates.
June 1, 2023
Quattro racconti, non particolarmente memorabili ma ben scritti, scorrevoli. È il secondo libro e la prima raccolta di racconti che leggo di Oates, mi piace! Ma pensavo mi sarebbe piaciuta di più… proverò altri libri.
June 20, 2020
Mariana es la cuarta esposa de Austin Mohr, un hombre de éxito mucho mayor que ella; Mariana es joven, impresionable y es justo en un momento vulnerable de su vida cuando Austin la acoge bajo sus alas y se casa con ella. Pero si conocemos las historias de JCO, sabemos que sus historias no son simples, no son planas, bajo estos argumentos aparentemente banales se esconde lo macabro, lo terrorífico y una profunda gama de grises del alma humana.
Es cuando llega de visita Inés, la primera esposa, cuando se produce la desintegración de Mariana, de alguna forma empieza a ser consciente con quién está casada, su pasividad y conformismo empiezan a resquebrajarse y a ver a su marido con otros ojos ¿con quién está casada? Una historia muy de estos tiempos sobre lo que supone la anulación emocional y lo dificil de ser libre...
"Él no se siente cómodo en presencia de mujeres fuertes, solo de mujeres a las que les falta parte del alma.".
(Relato incluido en "Tan Cerca En Todo Momento Siempre").
Es cuando llega de visita Inés, la primera esposa, cuando se produce la desintegración de Mariana, de alguna forma empieza a ser consciente con quién está casada, su pasividad y conformismo empiezan a resquebrajarse y a ver a su marido con otros ojos ¿con quién está casada? Una historia muy de estos tiempos sobre lo que supone la anulación emocional y lo dificil de ser libre...
"Él no se siente cómodo en presencia de mujeres fuertes, solo de mujeres a las que les falta parte del alma.".
(Relato incluido en "Tan Cerca En Todo Momento Siempre").
March 21, 2023
Ho avuto bisogno di qualche giorno per chiarirmi le idee.
Se si amano le raccolte di racconti, questi sono una bomba. Non considerate la suspense di cui si parla nella quarta di copertina. Sono 4 amori tossici e malati che portano il lettore a riflettere. Ben raccontati, che svelano le parti essenziali, ma sinceramente io non ci ho visto nessuna suspense.
Se non si è amanti di questa forma narrativa o (come me) non ci si è molto avvezzi, si potrebbe fare fatica ad apprezzare il libro. Io personalmente ho bisogno di più "spazio" per entrare nella storia e sentire vivi i personaggi. Quindi ci ho visto tanto potenziale sprecato per così dire; ci ho visto quattro romanzi che avrei potuto amare, ma non ne avrò mai la possibilità.
Lo stile della Oates può piacere o meno. A me non è dispiaciuto, ma non mi è sembrato nulla di eccelso.
Ora vedrò di leggere uno dei suoi mattonazzi per capire se è un'autrice che potrei amare o meno. Per ora posso dire solo di apprezzare le sue idee narrative.
Se si amano le raccolte di racconti, questi sono una bomba. Non considerate la suspense di cui si parla nella quarta di copertina. Sono 4 amori tossici e malati che portano il lettore a riflettere. Ben raccontati, che svelano le parti essenziali, ma sinceramente io non ci ho visto nessuna suspense.
Se non si è amanti di questa forma narrativa o (come me) non ci si è molto avvezzi, si potrebbe fare fatica ad apprezzare il libro. Io personalmente ho bisogno di più "spazio" per entrare nella storia e sentire vivi i personaggi. Quindi ci ho visto tanto potenziale sprecato per così dire; ci ho visto quattro romanzi che avrei potuto amare, ma non ne avrò mai la possibilità.
Lo stile della Oates può piacere o meno. A me non è dispiaciuto, ma non mi è sembrato nulla di eccelso.
Ora vedrò di leggere uno dei suoi mattonazzi per capire se è un'autrice che potrei amare o meno. Per ora posso dire solo di apprezzare le sue idee narrative.
October 11, 2013
Ok so I liked the first story, Evil Eye, but I had to read it again because I thought I missed something. The eye is definitely a talisman, but I didn't understand why she saw the ex wife without an eye but the husband didn't seem to. The thing I took away from the story is that men don't always turn out the way you think and a man who goes through wives like that doesn't really care about any of them. I didn't like the stalker story because it wasn't that exciting. The story about the whiny rich kids who isn't getting what he wants from Mommy and Daddy started out just ok but the ending was perfect. And the weird pedophile grandpa, that was just sick, even for Oates. Still love her work but I enjoyed her some of her other short story work better.
January 8, 2019
Four dark and gripping novellas that touched on a variety of themes (domestic violence, stalking, child abuse) with subtlety and honesty.
October 22, 2014
Subtitled 'Four Novellas of Love Gone Wrong', Evil Eye is a compact collection of stories which delivers exactly what it suggests: tales of romantic or familial love with a macabre edge. The beginning of the first story reminded me immediately of Angela Carter's superb The Bloody Chamber, prompting me to start reading Evil Eye soon after I bought it (at 99p in one of the Kindle Daily Deals).
'Evil Eye' is a promising gothic tale about a young woman, her much-older new husband (she's his fourth wife), a visit from the husband's ex-wife (the first one), and an evil eye talisman. Unfortunately, it turned out to be, for the most part, incredibly annoying because of the protagonist, Mariana, one of the most passive fictional characters I've ever come across. Her husband, Austin, is portrayed as inattentive, insensitive, and prone to irrational annoyance over small things, but he isn't abusive; Mariana is unhappy with almost every aspect of their relationship, but never vocalises this or, apparently, even dares speak to him, and altogether acts more like his daughter than his wife; one wonders how they can possibly have ended up married in the first place. Naturally, there's a fairytale aspect to the story which partly renders these criticisms invalid, as the characters' traits are exaggerated to fit a template - the obvious influence is the Bluebeard story.
In the second story 'So Near Any Time Always', we meet a sixteen-year-old girl who acts, and by all accounts looks, much younger: she is preyed upon by a young man who seems to be specifically seeking an underage girl, a child, though she, being so naive, fails to see what is obvious to the reader. I found the childish narrator (Lizbeth) and the weird boyfriend (Desmond) near-unbearable at first, but you can't deny they are well-crafted characters. Desmond in particular, with his laughable 'intellectual' posturing, awe-inspiring to Lizbeth and pathetic to anyone else. The atmosphere of the story is extremely effective - the setting is rendered well (I could almost hear the rain), tension builds perfectly, the threat of Desmond's potential actions is palpable, and it all culminates in a great conclusion. 'So Near Any Time Always' feels much more like a complete story than 'Evil Eye'.
'The Execution' takes a very different approach. It's about a boy who plans to kill his parents, and the narrative voice is unique where those in 'Evil Eye' and 'So Near' felt very alike: it's jumpy, jarring and fractured, which better suits Oates' slightly irritating habit of putting every other sentence into a new paragraph. Some of the details of Bart's scheme feel a bit too self-consciously researched (the use of a code acronym based on a film title for the murder plan; the video game and music references) but there is, overall, a good combination of an entertaining, almost amusing, voice and real, visceral horror. (There's also a weird, darkly funny link between the aforementioned acronym and what seems to be Bart's physical condition, a link that, satisfyingly, is never actually referenced in the text.)
Finally, there's 'The Flatbed', a deeply harrowing story about a woman whose sexual phobia is revealed to be a result of abuse suffered in childhood. When her new lover, N., coaxes this secret out of her, he becomes obsessed with the idea of confronting her abuser, who she refers to only as G., and exacting violent revenge. I think this is the shortest story in the collection - although it may be that it seemed briefer because I found some passages so difficult to read that I just skimmed them. On the surface, there isn't much more going on here than the immediate action, but the more I think about it, the more I feel there are many hidden parallels between the two men the woman (whose name isn't made clear as she's referred to by several names in the story) is affected by. It is not, however, a story I would want to revisit in order to examine these parallels.
All the stories in Evil Eye have a dark ending.
Even though I disliked the characters, I'd read 'So Near Any Time Always' again for its wonderfully (or horribly) evocative and memorable atmosphere. The others, I was happy to leave behind. There's something to be said for the power of a story - like 'The Flatbed' - that instils you with such dread you struggle to finish reading it, but it can't exactly be described as an enjoyable experience; 'Evil Eye' was a bit of a flop for me, and I would have preferred a more dramatic ending to 'The Execution'.
While it initially reminded me of Carter, other reviewers have compared Evil Eye to Edgar Allan Poe and Daphne du Maurier: all the comparisons are apt, but somehow it ends up lacking something vital, and it doesn't have the perfect balance that makes the stories of these other authors so engaging. Though it sounds like a cop-out to say this, I think the main problem is simply that it's too dark in places and not dark enough in others - it's uneven. There are parts of the book I would give a lower rating, but overall it earns three stars because as a whole it's an interesting little collection, one of those books I imagine it'd be great to study in depth and compare with its influences.
'Evil Eye' is a promising gothic tale about a young woman, her much-older new husband (she's his fourth wife), a visit from the husband's ex-wife (the first one), and an evil eye talisman. Unfortunately, it turned out to be, for the most part, incredibly annoying because of the protagonist, Mariana, one of the most passive fictional characters I've ever come across. Her husband, Austin, is portrayed as inattentive, insensitive, and prone to irrational annoyance over small things, but he isn't abusive; Mariana is unhappy with almost every aspect of their relationship, but never vocalises this or, apparently, even dares speak to him, and altogether acts more like his daughter than his wife; one wonders how they can possibly have ended up married in the first place. Naturally, there's a fairytale aspect to the story which partly renders these criticisms invalid, as the characters' traits are exaggerated to fit a template - the obvious influence is the Bluebeard story.
In the second story 'So Near Any Time Always', we meet a sixteen-year-old girl who acts, and by all accounts looks, much younger: she is preyed upon by a young man who seems to be specifically seeking an underage girl, a child, though she, being so naive, fails to see what is obvious to the reader. I found the childish narrator (Lizbeth) and the weird boyfriend (Desmond) near-unbearable at first, but you can't deny they are well-crafted characters. Desmond in particular, with his laughable 'intellectual' posturing, awe-inspiring to Lizbeth and pathetic to anyone else. The atmosphere of the story is extremely effective - the setting is rendered well (I could almost hear the rain), tension builds perfectly, the threat of Desmond's potential actions is palpable, and it all culminates in a great conclusion. 'So Near Any Time Always' feels much more like a complete story than 'Evil Eye'.
'The Execution' takes a very different approach. It's about a boy who plans to kill his parents, and the narrative voice is unique where those in 'Evil Eye' and 'So Near' felt very alike: it's jumpy, jarring and fractured, which better suits Oates' slightly irritating habit of putting every other sentence into a new paragraph. Some of the details of Bart's scheme feel a bit too self-consciously researched (the use of a code acronym based on a film title for the murder plan; the video game and music references) but there is, overall, a good combination of an entertaining, almost amusing, voice and real, visceral horror. (There's also a weird, darkly funny link between the aforementioned acronym and what seems to be Bart's physical condition, a link that, satisfyingly, is never actually referenced in the text.)
Finally, there's 'The Flatbed', a deeply harrowing story about a woman whose sexual phobia is revealed to be a result of abuse suffered in childhood. When her new lover, N., coaxes this secret out of her, he becomes obsessed with the idea of confronting her abuser, who she refers to only as G., and exacting violent revenge. I think this is the shortest story in the collection - although it may be that it seemed briefer because I found some passages so difficult to read that I just skimmed them. On the surface, there isn't much more going on here than the immediate action, but the more I think about it, the more I feel there are many hidden parallels between the two men the woman (whose name isn't made clear as she's referred to by several names in the story) is affected by. It is not, however, a story I would want to revisit in order to examine these parallels.
All the stories in Evil Eye have a dark ending.
Even though I disliked the characters, I'd read 'So Near Any Time Always' again for its wonderfully (or horribly) evocative and memorable atmosphere. The others, I was happy to leave behind. There's something to be said for the power of a story - like 'The Flatbed' - that instils you with such dread you struggle to finish reading it, but it can't exactly be described as an enjoyable experience; 'Evil Eye' was a bit of a flop for me, and I would have preferred a more dramatic ending to 'The Execution'.
While it initially reminded me of Carter, other reviewers have compared Evil Eye to Edgar Allan Poe and Daphne du Maurier: all the comparisons are apt, but somehow it ends up lacking something vital, and it doesn't have the perfect balance that makes the stories of these other authors so engaging. Though it sounds like a cop-out to say this, I think the main problem is simply that it's too dark in places and not dark enough in others - it's uneven. There are parts of the book I would give a lower rating, but overall it earns three stars because as a whole it's an interesting little collection, one of those books I imagine it'd be great to study in depth and compare with its influences.
December 30, 2023
L'occhio del male racchiude quattro racconti le cui trame ricche di suspense si intrecciano con temi molto forti: amori malati, persecuzioni, violenza psicologica e fisica, abusi. La scrittura densa della Oates non mi dà pace, fin quando non arrivo alla fine non posso rilassarmi. Le descrizioni in questa raccolta sono molto vive, turbanti e precise, è stata una gran bella lettura per chiudere questo anno in cui mi sono dedicata intensamente ai libri della Oates, che ormai è a pieno diritto una delle mie scrittrici preferite in assoluto. Due sono i racconti che mi hanno conquistata maggiormente: "Il pianale" e "Così vicino. In ogni momento. Sempre" per il ritmo incalzante e per i temi trattati senza mai scadere nel banale o nella pateticità.
June 9, 2016
I've previously read a few of Joyce Carol Oates' short stories that were sprinkled throughout various horror anthologies and I had always been impressed by her work. "Evil Eye" is no exception.
The first story is about the young fourth wife of a verbally abusive older man. The first wife comes to visit and that's when things really take a turn. There's an eye talisman in the house and the ex-wife is missing an eye...and I honestly didn't really understand where this one was going. Whether the ex-wife was making the husband abusive or visa versa I just wanted that young wife to get the hell out of there!
"So Near, Anytime, Always," is probably the scariest of the bunch because of how realistic it is. In it, a 16 year old girl has a relationship with a slightly older boy that turns from something sweet into a terrifying tale of stalking and worse. I feel like this scenario happens a lot more often than we would like to think it does.
"The Execution" is the story of a rich brat who plans the perfect crime to murder his parents. But since he's an idiot it doesn't quite work. This story really shows the meaning of the self-less love between a mother and her child...no matter what.
"The Flatbed" is a revenge fantasy of a woman who was sexually assaulted as a child on her rapist. It's satisfying in a bloody sort of way. It kind of reminded me of Lovecraft and Poe.
All in all, a strong collection by a woman who is still at the top of her game after all these years. Word to the wise: Don't cross Oates! She's got dark and twisty places inside of her.
The first story is about the young fourth wife of a verbally abusive older man. The first wife comes to visit and that's when things really take a turn. There's an eye talisman in the house and the ex-wife is missing an eye...and I honestly didn't really understand where this one was going. Whether the ex-wife was making the husband abusive or visa versa I just wanted that young wife to get the hell out of there!
"So Near, Anytime, Always," is probably the scariest of the bunch because of how realistic it is. In it, a 16 year old girl has a relationship with a slightly older boy that turns from something sweet into a terrifying tale of stalking and worse. I feel like this scenario happens a lot more often than we would like to think it does.
"The Execution" is the story of a rich brat who plans the perfect crime to murder his parents. But since he's an idiot it doesn't quite work. This story really shows the meaning of the self-less love between a mother and her child...no matter what.
"The Flatbed" is a revenge fantasy of a woman who was sexually assaulted as a child on her rapist. It's satisfying in a bloody sort of way. It kind of reminded me of Lovecraft and Poe.
All in all, a strong collection by a woman who is still at the top of her game after all these years. Word to the wise: Don't cross Oates! She's got dark and twisty places inside of her.
July 20, 2023
Four novellas all with a solid punch. There's no feeling of "Now, what exactly was that about?" with Joyce Carol Oates. I listened using the audible book seller "Chirp" Readers for all the stories were terrific.
January 9, 2022
Sempre disturbante la Oates.
Quattro racconti di rapporti uomo - donna malati e inquietanti. Alcuni più belli di altri, il primo e l’ultimo secondo me particolarmente belli ma tutti meritevoli
Quattro racconti di rapporti uomo - donna malati e inquietanti. Alcuni più belli di altri, il primo e l’ultimo secondo me particolarmente belli ma tutti meritevoli
November 10, 2023
The author evokes the feeling of dizzying disorientation really well. You can't really trust the narrators / protagonists even if you sympathize with them. The novellas are bound together by similar themes and style so this collection feels coherent.
July 28, 2025
As far as short stories go JCO does it well. One does not have use of sufficient words in a short story to get the story out, create complete characterisation and set up a proper mood for the story. She succeeds.
Love gone wrong is an apt description for these shorties. I also experienced dread, confusion and ick-iness (read "Flatbed" ! ) as the reading progressed. One thing for sure I read it fast, anxious to reach the end of the stories - and its "weird" conclusions.
Did not enjoy this book - but deep respect to the penmanship of JCO.
Love gone wrong is an apt description for these shorties. I also experienced dread, confusion and ick-iness (read "Flatbed" ! ) as the reading progressed. One thing for sure I read it fast, anxious to reach the end of the stories - and its "weird" conclusions.
Did not enjoy this book - but deep respect to the penmanship of JCO.
February 12, 2023
wow! è scritto troppo bene, non vedo l'ora di recuperare altro dell'autrice
July 1, 2025
Short stories or novellas by JCO are almost always pretty good. I would have to say that these are not her best.
September 1, 2021
Joyce Carol Oates ha un modo di scrivere che torce le budella. Soprattutto se si è stati coinvolti in una relazione tossica e/o si è una donna. Di solito non viene associata all'horror come lo è uno Stephen King, ma secondo me i due autori sono per lo meno "cugini" da questo punto di vista.
Il titolo è ispirato al primo racconto, quasi una citazione a Rebecca, dove però la prima moglie è viva e vegeta e il marito è dichiaratamente un despota inquietante, più che "solo" un uomo in posizione di superiorità che "salva" la fanciulla giovane e inesperta (e non fosse stato per BytheBook non avrei notato che Rebecca sia a sua volta una citazione/rivisitazione di Jane Eyere, ma meno candido e ottimista).
Seguono la storia disturbante di un'adolescente con un corteggiatore troppo insistente, quella di un giovane narcisista e del suo rapporto tossico con i genitori, nei loro classici ruoli di padre-distante e madre-indulgente, e alla fine il "sogno bagnato" di ogni uomo che sogna di vendicare una donzella dai traumi del passato e aiutarla a "guarire" (sì, in quel senso) nel presente.
Si parla di abusi, di malattia mentale sottovalutata, ma soprattutto Shirley cerca di aprirci una finestra sul punto di vista delle "vittime", con le quali spesso fatichiamo a empatizzare: "Perché non è scappata? Perché non ha detto nulla a nessuno? Perché lo ha sposato sapendo com'era?" etc. etc.
Letto per le sfide
1. Scaffali traboccanti 2021: (46/?)
2. Alphabet 2021 per Un libro il cui titolo inizi per O
Il titolo è ispirato al primo racconto, quasi una citazione a Rebecca, dove però la prima moglie è viva e vegeta e il marito è dichiaratamente un despota inquietante, più che "solo" un uomo in posizione di superiorità che "salva" la fanciulla giovane e inesperta (e non fosse stato per BytheBook non avrei notato che Rebecca sia a sua volta una citazione/rivisitazione di Jane Eyere, ma meno candido e ottimista).
Seguono la storia disturbante di un'adolescente con un corteggiatore troppo insistente, quella di un giovane narcisista e del suo rapporto tossico con i genitori, nei loro classici ruoli di padre-distante e madre-indulgente, e alla fine il "sogno bagnato" di ogni uomo che sogna di vendicare una donzella dai traumi del passato e aiutarla a "guarire" (sì, in quel senso) nel presente.
Si parla di abusi, di malattia mentale sottovalutata, ma soprattutto Shirley cerca di aprirci una finestra sul punto di vista delle "vittime", con le quali spesso fatichiamo a empatizzare: "Perché non è scappata? Perché non ha detto nulla a nessuno? Perché lo ha sposato sapendo com'era?" etc. etc.
Letto per le sfide
1. Scaffali traboccanti 2021: (46/?)
2. Alphabet 2021 per Un libro il cui titolo inizi per O
June 8, 2016
Absolutely incredible. Every story is utterly engulfing and thrilling, at times terrifying and yet unstoppable. So often the urge to reach in and demand the trouble away from the victim, impending victim, the survivor.
Fluid and flowing, impossible to start a story without finishing it.
Evil Eye - The thick anxious air builds until the wickedly jarring conclusion rips expectation to shreds. Tremendous.
So Near Any Time Always - Rolling like a storm, invoking the helpless dread of observer until the finale derails into the terror of possibility gone.
The Execution - Sick on all sides, pointing a dark finger in a lot of deserving directions.
The Flatbed - What is the universe without comeuppance and the healing powers of closure.
The dark and yet often subtle horrors here are the kind to leave behind traces.
This is the best of what I have read of Joyce Carol Oates.
Fluid and flowing, impossible to start a story without finishing it.
Evil Eye - The thick anxious air builds until the wickedly jarring conclusion rips expectation to shreds. Tremendous.
So Near Any Time Always - Rolling like a storm, invoking the helpless dread of observer until the finale derails into the terror of possibility gone.
The Execution - Sick on all sides, pointing a dark finger in a lot of deserving directions.
The Flatbed - What is the universe without comeuppance and the healing powers of closure.
The dark and yet often subtle horrors here are the kind to leave behind traces.
This is the best of what I have read of Joyce Carol Oates.
April 21, 2019
3.5/5 stars
My first JCO book and I was pleasantly surprised. First story was ok but the second story was an absolute stunner. The 3rd was very well written though I expected a better ending. The fourth --can be skipped.
My first JCO book and I was pleasantly surprised. First story was ok but the second story was an absolute stunner. The 3rd was very well written though I expected a better ending. The fourth --can be skipped.
December 20, 2021
I really enjoyed the first story or the title story-Evil Eye. It ends with a surprise twist at the end that has been used a lot before but still one you won’t see coming. This is definitely worth your time.
November 23, 2014
JCO is so talented. These stories are twisted and creepy and sadly, so realistic . JCO as always gives you plenty to think about.
August 2, 2018
4,5 ⭐️ vraiment la reine des lectures malaisantes. 4 nouvelles intrigantes et oppressantes. vite, une lecture douce pour contrebalancer...
September 15, 2024
Racconti magnetici e contemporaneamente mostruosi. Seduce il lettore portandolo in un posto oscuro pieno di istinti terrificanti e grotteschi pronti a rivelarsi.
August 15, 2017
Joyce Carol Oates gave me the creeps. With these four short novellas showing us different types of unlovable loves, she introduces us to the destructive, damaging, and toxic side relations between people can bear.
Going through topics such as anxiety and submission to negative influence, stalking, patricide, and child abuse, all of these stories hold in them a type of love gone wrong and leading to disastrous (or near disastrous) consequences. In the first story Mariana, the young fourth wife of an influential man of art, falls captive of the poisonous effect her husband’s first wife has on her after their first meeting (spousal love gone wrong). Unattractive young Lizbeth finds love in a charming and smart young man, only to wish she had never met him (young love gone wrong). Bart, is a promising young man who easily and quickly loses focus every time he tries to achieve his goals, even if one of them includes picking an axe against his own parents (child-parent love gone wrong). Beautiful Cecilia can never allow a man to touch her intimately because of traumatic sexual abuse in her childhood (familial love gone wrong) until N. decides to put a stop to this.
All of these stories are told in a naturally flowing language, so masterfully that you can place yourself in the shoes of the characters, even in that of a disturbed young man planning the execution of his own parents, and see what twisted and dark logic motivates him and leads him on to this unimaginably horrid act, the disturbing part being that Oates manages to convey his dark and insane motives so clearly and naturally.
This is the second book of Joyce Carol Oates I’ve read, and I am more and more convinced of her being a master of the quill and words and of her ability to create captivating stories. Stories that invite you to go for a scary ride. Like a stranger offering to give you a lift in their car after dark.
Going through topics such as anxiety and submission to negative influence, stalking, patricide, and child abuse, all of these stories hold in them a type of love gone wrong and leading to disastrous (or near disastrous) consequences. In the first story Mariana, the young fourth wife of an influential man of art, falls captive of the poisonous effect her husband’s first wife has on her after their first meeting (spousal love gone wrong). Unattractive young Lizbeth finds love in a charming and smart young man, only to wish she had never met him (young love gone wrong). Bart, is a promising young man who easily and quickly loses focus every time he tries to achieve his goals, even if one of them includes picking an axe against his own parents (child-parent love gone wrong). Beautiful Cecilia can never allow a man to touch her intimately because of traumatic sexual abuse in her childhood (familial love gone wrong) until N. decides to put a stop to this.
All of these stories are told in a naturally flowing language, so masterfully that you can place yourself in the shoes of the characters, even in that of a disturbed young man planning the execution of his own parents, and see what twisted and dark logic motivates him and leads him on to this unimaginably horrid act, the disturbing part being that Oates manages to convey his dark and insane motives so clearly and naturally.
This is the second book of Joyce Carol Oates I’ve read, and I am more and more convinced of her being a master of the quill and words and of her ability to create captivating stories. Stories that invite you to go for a scary ride. Like a stranger offering to give you a lift in their car after dark.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 16, 2020
Quattro brevi racconti che descrivono come l’amore, in persone non equilibrate, possa trasformarsi in un sentimento malato, portando alla pazzia o a compiere gesti efferati. Mi piace lo stile di JCO. Riesce a creare la giusta suspense che tiene il lettore con il fiato sospeso. Probabilmente la novella più inquietante è la seconda, in cui una ragazzina adolescente viene adescata da un ventenne che si rivela poi uno stalker. Anche il terzo racconto, che narra di un ragazzo che progetta la strage dei propri genitori a colpi di ascia, ben riflette, purtroppo, la violenza che contamina la nostra società. Voto: 3.75 ma assegno un 4 stelle perché questa scrittrice secondo me merita di essere letta.
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