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Double Delight
Terence Greene is admired for his perfect life in an affluent New Jersey suburb, and for his marriage to a minister’s beautiful and wealthy daughter. He’s also envied for his successful career as director of an arts foundation. But all of that changes when Terence is summoned to jury duty in Trenton. Ava-Rose Renfrew, the alleged victim in an assault case, is a sexy, irresistibly raw, and low-rent woman who lives on the shadowy banks of the Delaware River with a strange clan she calls family. And she’s very eager to show Terence her appreciation for his loyalty in the jury box.
Before long, their quick and dirty affair becomes an obsession, and getting hooked on a drug as potent and violent as Ava-Rose soon turns Terence’s respectable life to dust. He’s willing to do anything for her: lie, embezzle, steal—and worse. For Terence, losing control is half the fun. But trying to get it back is terrifying.
The recipient of honors ranging from the National Book Award to the Bram Stoker Award, Joyce Carol Oates has explored obsession and sexual terrors in such acclaimed novels as Zombie, Daddy Love, and Jack of Spades. In Double Delight, writing as Rosamond Smith, she proves herself an abandoned and fearless talent in psychological suspense.
Before long, their quick and dirty affair becomes an obsession, and getting hooked on a drug as potent and violent as Ava-Rose soon turns Terence’s respectable life to dust. He’s willing to do anything for her: lie, embezzle, steal—and worse. For Terence, losing control is half the fun. But trying to get it back is terrifying.
The recipient of honors ranging from the National Book Award to the Bram Stoker Award, Joyce Carol Oates has explored obsession and sexual terrors in such acclaimed novels as Zombie, Daddy Love, and Jack of Spades. In Double Delight, writing as Rosamond Smith, she proves herself an abandoned and fearless talent in psychological suspense.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2017
33 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Rosamond Smith
11 books39 followersRosamond Smith is a pseudonym for Joyce Carol Oates.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 30, 2020
Terence Greene is a quite man, the head of an art foundation, living an upper class life in New Jersey. Terence is quite uncomfortable in his life however, having married up into wealth. He spent his childhood shuffled around, with no real knowledge of what had happened to his parents. Terence is also respectable, a moral person to all those who know him. Things begin to get strange for Terence though when he gets summoned to jury duty. Though his wife told him he should get out of it, Terence does that right thing and shows up. He is selected to be on the jury, where he first encounters Ava-Rose. Terence's life begins to unravel as he constantly obsesses about Ava-Rose and compromises his principals to be with her.
I'm not sure if my summary does a good job framing the book but the summary that was is on the actual book page isn't that great either. Spoilers ahead. Also just throwing it out there there is coerced sex/rape in the book for people who want to avoid that.
I really really enjoyed this book and I was surprised to see that other people didn't as much. I really enjoyed another one of Joyce Carol Oates books I read as well and I think it's something about her writing style. It feels really immersive, and it doesn't always work. I know one of the other books was hard to get through because it felt tedious to read all the small details but here it just worked for me for some reason. I also wasn't sure how to expect the book to end and once I had finished it I just felt strange. I think my favorite part of reading is when afterwards I just feel changed as a person and like for days I can't stop feeling the aftereffects of reading the book.
Even though all the foreshadowing made it pretty clear how the story would play out I still felt the visceral reactions that Terence did as he finds out more about Ava-Rose. Just the way he seems to hesitate but can't stop himself from getting drawn into her and the way he becomes increasingly detached from the world around him into his own head and this obsession with her. Also at the god damn end when she grabs his hand, I honestly thought they'd leave him to die. It was also kind of ambiguous about what he was going to do to them and I'm just left like god damn I really want to know how it ends but also I'd probably be disappointed at whichever outcome would have been chosen, it's better left like that because wow I can't let it go.
I'm sorry for the incoherent review, the book really got to me for some reason and maybe I'm still feeling a little spacey and muddled from reading things from Terence's POV and his deteriorating grasp of things outside of his love of Ava-Rose.
I'm not sure if my summary does a good job framing the book but the summary that was is on the actual book page isn't that great either. Spoilers ahead. Also just throwing it out there there is coerced sex/rape in the book for people who want to avoid that.
I really really enjoyed this book and I was surprised to see that other people didn't as much. I really enjoyed another one of Joyce Carol Oates books I read as well and I think it's something about her writing style. It feels really immersive, and it doesn't always work. I know one of the other books was hard to get through because it felt tedious to read all the small details but here it just worked for me for some reason. I also wasn't sure how to expect the book to end and once I had finished it I just felt strange. I think my favorite part of reading is when afterwards I just feel changed as a person and like for days I can't stop feeling the aftereffects of reading the book.
Even though all the foreshadowing made it pretty clear how the story would play out I still felt the visceral reactions that Terence did as he finds out more about Ava-Rose. Just the way he seems to hesitate but can't stop himself from getting drawn into her and the way he becomes increasingly detached from the world around him into his own head and this obsession with her. Also at the god damn end when she grabs his hand, I honestly thought they'd leave him to die. It was also kind of ambiguous about what he was going to do to them and I'm just left like god damn I really want to know how it ends but also I'd probably be disappointed at whichever outcome would have been chosen, it's better left like that because wow I can't let it go.
I'm sorry for the incoherent review, the book really got to me for some reason and maybe I'm still feeling a little spacey and muddled from reading things from Terence's POV and his deteriorating grasp of things outside of his love of Ava-Rose.
August 3, 2012
Joyce Carol Oates did not succeed in writing under another name without being caught. Her husband’s name is Raymond Smith so we see where she was coming from. Rosamond Smith wrote eight books in her career including this one. I read somewhere she had a thing about twins in these books.
Here is an essay on pseudonyms by JCO who used several of them.
https://www.usfca.edu/jco/pseudonyms/
The one paragraph descriptions of people in this book are wonderful. But I keep wondering: Does this sound like JCO? I just have not read enough of her to be sure. But it sure seems possible. How did she think she could keep this a secret?
Wouldn’t you say, “Who does Joyce Carol Oates think she is fooling?” Wouldn’t you? But let’s just sit back and enjoy this devilish romp. Our heroes enter, stage left.
Is he old enough to be her father? And what is this about twins? There is the double delight rose in Holly Mae’s garden at 33 Holyoak Street in Trenton, NJ. There are the twins Dara and Dana sunbathing on the roof in tiny bikinis.
I’d say it’s closer to a lite horror story than a mystery. Double Delight definitely has an eerie feel to it with a batch of creepy characters. In fact, is there a normal character in the book? More dead bodies than the average. I had fun reading it but certainly would not have checked it out without the JCO connection. But I certainly might read more Rosamond Smith in the future. Four stars for a book that was easy to read and enjoy without expending a lot of brain matter but still with some tension.
Here is an essay on pseudonyms by JCO who used several of them.
https://www.usfca.edu/jco/pseudonyms/
The one paragraph descriptions of people in this book are wonderful. But I keep wondering: Does this sound like JCO? I just have not read enough of her to be sure. But it sure seems possible. How did she think she could keep this a secret?
She was shapely and compact, in height about five feet three(in her stocking feet, as now); with blond-streaked hair that lifted from her forehead like a bird’s crest, artfully waved and sculpted; her face was round, full, inclining to plumpness. During the day, no less than in the evening, she was elaborately made up; at night, she applied medicinal-smelling creams and oils to her face. (Had Terrence ever seen his wife’s face naked, exposed? – raw?) She was particularly conscious, and critical, of her eyes, which were too small for her taste, and required eye shadow, eyeliners, mascaras – “A lifetime disappointment.” Yet, for all this, Phyllis Greene was attractive; in fact, quite glamorous. If her moods at home with her family were mercurial (“There Mom goes again!” was a cheeky refrain of Aaron’s, for years.), her mood in public was unwavering. She’d become, with years of practice, one of those supremely confident affluent suburban American women in whom The Smile has become an art.
Wouldn’t you say, “Who does Joyce Carol Oates think she is fooling?” Wouldn’t you? But let’s just sit back and enjoy this devilish romp. Our heroes enter, stage left.
Arm in arm Terence and Ava-Rose entered the glass-fronted reception room of the Metropolitan Life Insurance office, and more than one person, male, female, visitor or office worker, glanced curiously at them. A distinguished-looking middle-aged man in a business suit, a flamboyantly pretty hippie-style girl spangled with inexpensive jewelry – a striking couple, yes?
Is he old enough to be her father? And what is this about twins? There is the double delight rose in Holly Mae’s garden at 33 Holyoak Street in Trenton, NJ. There are the twins Dara and Dana sunbathing on the roof in tiny bikinis.
I’d say it’s closer to a lite horror story than a mystery. Double Delight definitely has an eerie feel to it with a batch of creepy characters. In fact, is there a normal character in the book? More dead bodies than the average. I had fun reading it but certainly would not have checked it out without the JCO connection. But I certainly might read more Rosamond Smith in the future. Four stars for a book that was easy to read and enjoy without expending a lot of brain matter but still with some tension.
May 9, 2018
Maybe, It Could Have Worked As A Short Story
Normally, I like Oates' works - and some, I really like - often because of their "relateability" and insights into our emotions and intellectualizations. The characters in this book - a gypsy-like family of scammers and Terence, the middle-aged man in crisis who becomes enamored of them, - were not only a little too far "out of the norm" for me, but Oates, uncharacteristically, and with the exception of Terence, failed to develop them as anything but "one-dimensional cardboard constructs". And the ending of the story was so abrupt and sort of "O-Henryish" that I wound up feeling a bit cheated. That glimmer of insight I was seeking about the gypsy's family "reality" was never going to be provided, and the soul of poor Terence was never going to be redeemed. Possibly, the story could have worked as a short story, although I probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. If, like me, you stumble on this book and are drawn to read it as a work authored by Oates, stumble on past. There is obviously a reason why this story was originally published under a pseudonym.
Normally, I like Oates' works - and some, I really like - often because of their "relateability" and insights into our emotions and intellectualizations. The characters in this book - a gypsy-like family of scammers and Terence, the middle-aged man in crisis who becomes enamored of them, - were not only a little too far "out of the norm" for me, but Oates, uncharacteristically, and with the exception of Terence, failed to develop them as anything but "one-dimensional cardboard constructs". And the ending of the story was so abrupt and sort of "O-Henryish" that I wound up feeling a bit cheated. That glimmer of insight I was seeking about the gypsy's family "reality" was never going to be provided, and the soul of poor Terence was never going to be redeemed. Possibly, the story could have worked as a short story, although I probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. If, like me, you stumble on this book and are drawn to read it as a work authored by Oates, stumble on past. There is obviously a reason why this story was originally published under a pseudonym.
July 11, 2021
1st things 1st, Terrence is an IDIOT. What in the world...he obviously made all his decisions based on his little brain. Ava-Rose and the whole family were cons. He was too stupid 2 sense that (or just chose 2 ignore it). One clue: attache case. Dumbass! All started with jury duty...good grief.
March 10, 2012
Psychological Fiction. Different kind of read.
August 12, 2018
Lort, JCO creates suffocating nightmares. This book should come with a complimentary Xanax.
June 21, 2013
in Mann in Terence Greenes Position würde doch keinen Ruf als Geschworener (Laienrichter) in einem Gerichtsverfahren annehmen, meinte seine Frau Phyllis, als sie von der Einladung erfuhr. Terence sei für dieses Ehrenamt sowieso nicht durchschnittlich genug und werde sicher von der Verteidigung abgelehnt. Was Terence genau arbeitet in seiner wichtigen Position in einer Stiftung wissen wir noch nicht. Terence jedenfalls ist die neue Verpflichtung ein willkommener Grund, um vor vermüllten Kellern und unerfreulichen Diskussionen mit seiner pubertierenden Tochter zu flüchten. Joyce Carol Oates nutzt als Psychothriller-Autorin Rosamond Smith ihre ausgeprägte Freude am Detail, um ihren Lesern zunächst den Keller der Greenes als Friedhof längst vergangener Hobbies zu beschreiben und daran Terences Entscheidungsschwäche zu demonstrieren. Terence scheint bisher ein sorgenfreies Leben geführt zu haben; denn Phyllis hat genug Geld mit in die Ehe gebracht, um der Familie und ihren drei Kindern einen angenehmeren Lebensstandard zu ermöglichen, als Terence durch eigene Arbeit je erreichen würde. Phyllis, ewig unzufrieden, dauergewellt und mit festgewachsenem Lächeln, füllt hier lebensecht das Klischee der Amerikanerin aus bürgerlichem Haus aus. Doch die Idylle wankt, seit die Kinder größer sind und Terence sich allmählich eingestehen muss, dass er Anforderungen am liebsten ausweicht. Die Autorin kratzt noch tiefer an der bürgerlichen Idylle der Greenes, indem sie in kursiver Schrift giftige Einflüsterungen einschiebt, die Terence's eigene Selbstzweifel und Zweifel der Leser an Terence streuen. Wer ist dieser Terence überhaupt? Nie hat er bisher über seine Herkunft erzählt. Was ist Realität und was hat Terence evtl. nur geträumt?
Der Fall, über den Terence als einer von 14 Geschworenen zu entscheiden hat, scheint so eindeutig wie unbedeutend zu sein. Es geht um eine Gewalttat zu Ungunsten von Ava-Rose Renfrew. Die Hauptbelastungszeugin der Anklage schwebt wie ein wandelnder Kunstgewerbeladen mit erfreulicher Nutzfläche für Schmückstücke herein. Terence ist sofort hingerissen von Ava - und nicht der einzige Geschworene mit der spontanen Überzeugung, dass jemand, der einer so zarten Person Gewalt angetan haben soll, schuldig sein muss. Einziger Schönheitsfehler scheint nur, dass weitere Zeugenaussagen ausschließlich von Avas Verwandten stammen und auffällig routiniert klingen. Terence, der bisher so unentschlossen durch sein Leben schlingerte, verfällt der Frau augenblicklich und handelt sich in ihrem Windschatten einen schwer zu durchschauenden Familien-Clan mit mehreren Kindern, einem Haus mit leckendem Dach und dem größenwahnsinnigen Vorsatz ein, das städtische Busunternehmen zu verklagen. Terence unterstützt, Terence zahlt, zur Not auch den neuen Papageienkäfig, und verheddert sich alsbald in ein kompliziertes Lügengeflecht, um seine Ausgaben für Ava zu rechtfertigen. Da das florierende Unternehmen Renfrew bereits unauffällig Tote hinterlassen hat, stellt sich die Frage, ob der dämliche Terence lange genug überleben wird, um zu merken, dass er von den Renfrews ausgenommen wird wie eine Weihnachtsgans.
Fazit
Hinreißend, welch bissige Seite "Rosamond Smith" mit den Mitteln des Psychothrillers hier auslebt und mit feinen Details ausspinnt.
Lockender Engel ISBN 978-3423204132
Der Fall, über den Terence als einer von 14 Geschworenen zu entscheiden hat, scheint so eindeutig wie unbedeutend zu sein. Es geht um eine Gewalttat zu Ungunsten von Ava-Rose Renfrew. Die Hauptbelastungszeugin der Anklage schwebt wie ein wandelnder Kunstgewerbeladen mit erfreulicher Nutzfläche für Schmückstücke herein. Terence ist sofort hingerissen von Ava - und nicht der einzige Geschworene mit der spontanen Überzeugung, dass jemand, der einer so zarten Person Gewalt angetan haben soll, schuldig sein muss. Einziger Schönheitsfehler scheint nur, dass weitere Zeugenaussagen ausschließlich von Avas Verwandten stammen und auffällig routiniert klingen. Terence, der bisher so unentschlossen durch sein Leben schlingerte, verfällt der Frau augenblicklich und handelt sich in ihrem Windschatten einen schwer zu durchschauenden Familien-Clan mit mehreren Kindern, einem Haus mit leckendem Dach und dem größenwahnsinnigen Vorsatz ein, das städtische Busunternehmen zu verklagen. Terence unterstützt, Terence zahlt, zur Not auch den neuen Papageienkäfig, und verheddert sich alsbald in ein kompliziertes Lügengeflecht, um seine Ausgaben für Ava zu rechtfertigen. Da das florierende Unternehmen Renfrew bereits unauffällig Tote hinterlassen hat, stellt sich die Frage, ob der dämliche Terence lange genug überleben wird, um zu merken, dass er von den Renfrews ausgenommen wird wie eine Weihnachtsgans.
Fazit
Hinreißend, welch bissige Seite "Rosamond Smith" mit den Mitteln des Psychothrillers hier auslebt und mit feinen Details ausspinnt.
Lockender Engel ISBN 978-3423204132
September 29, 2019
[Semi-spoiler alert]. I didn't realize, till I read the Goodreads reviews, that this book was by Joyce Carol Oates, and now that I know that, I'm more puzzled by its ineptitudes (some of which a copy editor should have caught). For example, the author does not seem to have a clear take on point of view: mostly we see things through Terence Green's eyes, but suddenly a passage will intrude itself that is clearly from an omniscient narrator's standpoint. Very late in the narrative, a deus ex machina is called upon in the form of Ava-Rose Renfrew's twin sister to enlighten Terence (and the reader) about the history of the Renfrew family. We never see her again, nor de we get any explanation of why this sister appears to be so much older than her identical twin (are the scars on Ava-Rose's face the result of plastic surgery?). The protagonist is a believable wimp, but none of the other characters rings quite true, and one senses that the author barely cares about them. It was hard to stick with them for three hundred pages, led forward only by suspense and a need to know how the situation is resolved, only to find that the situation is *not* resolved, and innumerable questions are left unanswered.
October 26, 2018
Another of Joyce Carol Oates psychological thrillers under the name Rosamond Smith, this one is the unsettling story of regular guy Terence living a regular life in an affluent New Jersey suburb with his wife and children, who one day gets called for jury service. Even before the trial starts he catches a glimpse of gypsy-like Ava-Rose Renfrew and becomes obsessed with her. How that plays out is the subject of this suspenseful and clever novel, which keeps the reader guessing (well, this reader, anyway) as the twists and the turns of the narrative develop in often unexpected ways. All the characters Terence meets through Ava-Rose are enigmatic and off-beat and as we only see them through Terence’s eyes we can never be sure exactly who they are or what their motives are. Does he see simply what he wants to see? Is what he is experiencing simply in his head? He’s certainly in danger of losing all that he holds dear – but is he also losing his mind? This is an entertaining and unusual tale of obsession, and I very much enjoyed it.
January 8, 2025
THIS IS SOME KIND OF GLITCH because the novel I actually finished was “Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon”, but it keeps on popping up as “Double Delight”
…..Really fast paced so I just almost read it straight through. Didn’t like the ending, but Joyce Carol Oates writing as Rosalind Smith still delivers as promised. She must have some kind of Dissociative Identity Disorder going on, because the writing style and her novels are SO different. JCO is pure “Literature” with a capital L. Her novel “Bellefland (see comment below)Rosamond Smith is kind of trashy, to be honest. But they’re both great story tellers. Oates “Gothic saga” (3 books, I believe) “A BLOODSMOOR ROMANCE” is GENIUS! One of maybe the top ten books I’ve read in my life, and I’ve been reading for almost 70 years now! Not a great computer talent, am I, but nobody would doubt that I am a SERIOUS READER! Lol. If you’ve had the patience to read this attempt at communication, then you must be a SERIOUS READER too! Lol! 🤣Thank you!
…..Really fast paced so I just almost read it straight through. Didn’t like the ending, but Joyce Carol Oates writing as Rosalind Smith still delivers as promised. She must have some kind of Dissociative Identity Disorder going on, because the writing style and her novels are SO different. JCO is pure “Literature” with a capital L. Her novel “Bellefland (see comment below)Rosamond Smith is kind of trashy, to be honest. But they’re both great story tellers. Oates “Gothic saga” (3 books, I believe) “A BLOODSMOOR ROMANCE” is GENIUS! One of maybe the top ten books I’ve read in my life, and I’ve been reading for almost 70 years now! Not a great computer talent, am I, but nobody would doubt that I am a SERIOUS READER! Lol. If you’ve had the patience to read this attempt at communication, then you must be a SERIOUS READER too! Lol! 🤣Thank you!
October 2, 2015
I can't decide what I think of this one. I can't say I liked it, but I was compelled to keep purging through it so I could get my questions answered and confirmation of what I suspected to happen. I was hoping to get a little more grit and grime with this too. But, it was sadly lacking in suspense and sexual description. I feel I kept waiting for some big climax that never came. I finished it but have no idea how especially because I could not stand the male lead. I was disgusted by his weak character and detested his spineless lack of pride and dignity. I was mostly just hanging in there to see what bad would befall him, because he had it coming. I felt he was a shamelessly shallow man. Some small issues for me...the characters names,,,,awful! I didn't feel like they fit....Husband: Terry, Wife: Phyllis, Mistress: Ava-Rose, Terrible. I really liked the idea of the story it was just flat for me.
April 25, 2024
Terence Greene is an upstanding citizen with a great job as a director for an arts foundation. He's married with three children, enjoys a wealthy lifestyle, and is a bit dull. His entire life changes ... for the better? for the worse? ... when he is summoned for jury duty. There he is instantly and totally obsessed with the victim in an assault case...Ava-Rose Renfrew.
He's so taken with Ava-Rose that she becomes his entire world. Terence longs to be with her and her ramshackle family. His entire being changes...he lies, cheats, commits crimes, steals. He does anything and everything to be with his Ava-Rose.
But is Ava-Rose who Terence believes she is?
Once again, Joyce Carol Oates {writing as Rosamond Smith} had me sitting on the edge of my seat with this psychological thriller. Her writing is always superb, her characters are down-to-earth and fleshed-out. The story line is never predictable and there are plenty of surprises this reader never saw coming.
He's so taken with Ava-Rose that she becomes his entire world. Terence longs to be with her and her ramshackle family. His entire being changes...he lies, cheats, commits crimes, steals. He does anything and everything to be with his Ava-Rose.
But is Ava-Rose who Terence believes she is?
Once again, Joyce Carol Oates {writing as Rosamond Smith} had me sitting on the edge of my seat with this psychological thriller. Her writing is always superb, her characters are down-to-earth and fleshed-out. The story line is never predictable and there are plenty of surprises this reader never saw coming.
March 20, 2021
This was a creepy, weird story of a man who falls for a woman who is clearly a grifter of sorts, in fact, her entire family of sketchy people who get by in life by getting over on other people. Eventually, he loses everything he had, wife, children, home, and ends up with this other family, in fact, when you think they've finally done their worst to him, it seems he may actually be just like them.
January 19, 2011
Well, I found the topic of a man moving away from his marriage to fall in love with a younger, more wild and exotic woman just simple. Simple man, simple book, and would have preferred to save the time and apply it to cleaning my bathroom.
July 23, 2023
I enjoyed reading the book. Terrence is pathetic, however. He is one of the weakest male characters that I’ve encountered in quite a while. At the end of the book, I was hoping he would die. The characters are developed well.
May 30, 2017
Loved the colorful characters, contrasts, & impending danger throughout. Couldn't put the book down & read it in one day. Joyce Carol Oates is simply a master.
August 23, 2017
Läst på svenska: Dubbelrosen
January 7, 2019
Good book
I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and held my interest. Ending was a bit odd and disappointing though.
I enjoyed it. It was a quick read and held my interest. Ending was a bit odd and disappointing though.
April 29, 2021
Mostly entertaining, but does not live up to the majestic darkness of other Joyces and Rosamunds.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews