What do you think?
Rate this book
Desmembrado
En su última colección de relatos, Joyce Carol Oates ahonda en las vidas de niñas y mujeres vulnerables: unas se convierten en víctimas, mientras otras se ven incitadas, por un profundo malestar emocional, a cometer actos violentos contra los demás.
En Desmembrado, el relato que da título al libro, una niña precoz de once años, llamada Jill, se sube al Chevrolet azul celeste de un pariente de la familia, un hombre atractivo y misterioso, que la conducirá a un destino incierto e imposible de olvidar; en «El sótano», finalista del premio Edgar al mejor relato breve, una viuda regresa de manera obsesiva a la casa que antaño compartía con su marido, hasta que una invitación a entrar por parte de los nuevos propietarios adquiere visos amenazadores; en «La chica ahogada», una estudiante universitaria se obsesiona con el caso de una mujer que murió ahogada o fue asesinada.
Todos ellos son relatos sobrecogedores. Joyce Carol Oates consigue inquietarnos con sus historias construidas en el territorio del miedo.
En Desmembrado, el relato que da título al libro, una niña precoz de once años, llamada Jill, se sube al Chevrolet azul celeste de un pariente de la familia, un hombre atractivo y misterioso, que la conducirá a un destino incierto e imposible de olvidar; en «El sótano», finalista del premio Edgar al mejor relato breve, una viuda regresa de manera obsesiva a la casa que antaño compartía con su marido, hasta que una invitación a entrar por parte de los nuevos propietarios adquiere visos amenazadores; en «La chica ahogada», una estudiante universitaria se obsesiona con el caso de una mujer que murió ahogada o fue asesinada.
Todos ellos son relatos sobrecogedores. Joyce Carol Oates consigue inquietarnos con sus historias construidas en el territorio del miedo.
248 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2017
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
872 books10.3k 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
May 29, 2017
I really want to thank Mysterious Press, Joyce Carol Oates and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this collection. This is my first brush with Oates and I hoped it would prove indicative of how well I might like her writing. It delivered!
I let these stories of which there are seven roll over me slowly as I snuck them in between other reads. Started during a particularly turbulent period in my life, I got side tracked after the first couple of stories, but when I finally found my way back, I devoured the rest pretty quickly. They are deliciously dark, unsettling and impudently overstay their allotted time inside my head.
Hey make some room guys!
Here are my top 3:
Dis Mem Ber:
Do you want to be judged by the company you keep? The lure of bad boys with sinister results.
HeartBreak:
Ever been jealous, sure and haven’t we all. This tale of sibling rivalry takes this concept one step too far and we find ourselves soaking in a tub of chilling possibility.
Great Blue Heron: (my personal favourite)
Grief can be all consuming. We can be shaken to our very core. What if we are also isolated and under siege? Never underestimate the power of a woman’s love.
If you have a taste for exploring the dark, disturbing recesses of a deliciously, fecund mind this one is very tasty!
Now I definitely want to read more by this author. Any recommendations out there?
I let these stories of which there are seven roll over me slowly as I snuck them in between other reads. Started during a particularly turbulent period in my life, I got side tracked after the first couple of stories, but when I finally found my way back, I devoured the rest pretty quickly. They are deliciously dark, unsettling and impudently overstay their allotted time inside my head.
Hey make some room guys!
Here are my top 3:
Dis Mem Ber:
Do you want to be judged by the company you keep? The lure of bad boys with sinister results.
HeartBreak:
Ever been jealous, sure and haven’t we all. This tale of sibling rivalry takes this concept one step too far and we find ourselves soaking in a tub of chilling possibility.
Great Blue Heron: (my personal favourite)
Grief can be all consuming. We can be shaken to our very core. What if we are also isolated and under siege? Never underestimate the power of a woman’s love.
If you have a taste for exploring the dark, disturbing recesses of a deliciously, fecund mind this one is very tasty!
Now I definitely want to read more by this author. Any recommendations out there?
February 19, 2021
Por fin me estreno con Joyce Carol Oates. No veía la hora de deleitarme con sus historias que se te agarran al alma. Llenas de terror cotidiano, maltrato, familias disfuncionales, soledad y dolor.
Mucho dolor. Por todas partes.
Con mujeres y niñas como pilar fundamental de la narración.
Tenía la intuición de que sus historias me iban a gustar y así ha sido. Una montaña rusa de miedos y emociones. Así ha sido leerla.
Aunque como toda antología no podemos meter a todas las historias en el mismo saco, unas te llegan más que otras. Por la historia que cuenta y como la cuenta.
Pasaré a describir brevemente cada uno de los relatos y mis impresiones: ⬇
⚫ En Desmembrado, el relato que da título a la antología. Acompañaremos a la joven Jill en el incierto viaje que hace con su tío Rowan Billiet. A través de sus recuerdos en forma de "confesión".
Relato duro pero me ha dejado un poco fría.
-"Es la Noche del Diablo, cuando los adolescentes sin supervisión pueden cometer travesuras serias."-
⚫ En El Pasadizo nos encontramos con una viuda que no puede evitar volver a la casa en la que convivió hace siete años con su difunto marido. Me ha encantado. ¡Qué final! Claustrofóbico. Angustiante. Sublime. Merecido premio Edgar al mejor relato breve 😍
-"Por favor. Haces que nos sintamos incómodos. Siempre estás vigilándonos, rondándonos como un fantasma..."-
⚫ En Desengaño, asistiremos al relato en primera persona de Stephanie, una adolescente de 13 años que se siente a la sombra de su hermana Caitlin, y veremos las aventuras de ambas con el "medio" primo de estas, Hunt. Final previsible pero disfrutable.
⚫ En La chica ahogada, relato claramente inspirado en Elisa Lam, la joven que desapareció misteriosamente en el Hotel Cecil de Los Ángeles (aprovecho y abro paréntesis para recomendarles la serie documental sobre el caso en Netflix), nos sumergiremos en un relato cargado de emoción y obsesión por una joven de esclarecer que pasó realmente con la susodicha joven. Misterio resuelto, ¿o no?
-"Abrí el grifo en mi lavabo, y el agua que salió, [...] era de un repugnante color amarillento y apestaba a excrementos."-
⚫ En Situaciones, leeremos eso, tres situaciones dispares con un mismo hilo conductor: gatitos. Para mi el más flojo de la colección sin duda. O quizás sea yo, que no he sabido captar el mensaje de la autora.
-"Eso había pasado antes, aunque no de la misma manera, y cuando una cosa pasa de forma parecida a una anterior es más terrible que si no hubiera ocurrido antes, de la forma que fuera."-
⚫ La garza azulada. Sobrecogedor y doloroso relato sobre la soledad que conlleva la viudez. Se te encoge el corazón con las últimas líneas.
-"Ahora sólo quiero hacer el bien. Quiero ser buena. Si soy buena, todo dará marcha atrás y esto tan horrible no habrá ocurrido."-
⚫ Y, por último, ¡Bienvenidos al vuelo entre amigos!, nos encontramos con una hilarante historia. Un cambio radical de tercio. Ha desentonado demasiado con el conjunto y no ha sido de mi agrado, por lo que ha sido el que menos he disfrutado. Desde luego que no es mi tipo de humor 😂😂😂
Ha sido una primera impresión muy grata. Ese aire malsano y pútrido que impregna cada página me ha tenido totalmente absorta y prácticamente lo he devorado.
Ahora tendré que buscar más obras suyas y me temo que no son pocas. ¡Necesito más vidas para poder leer todo lo que quiero por favor! 😂
¿Qué obra de ella me recomiendan? ¿Cuál es la que más desasosiego les ha producido? Me encantan ese tipo de historias que te calan y te hacen encogerte de la emoción. ¡Los leo! 👀
Para seguirme en mi pequeño rincón ❤ ➡ https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... Muchísimas gracias 😊
Mucho dolor. Por todas partes.
Con mujeres y niñas como pilar fundamental de la narración.
Tenía la intuición de que sus historias me iban a gustar y así ha sido. Una montaña rusa de miedos y emociones. Así ha sido leerla.
Aunque como toda antología no podemos meter a todas las historias en el mismo saco, unas te llegan más que otras. Por la historia que cuenta y como la cuenta.
Pasaré a describir brevemente cada uno de los relatos y mis impresiones: ⬇
⚫ En Desmembrado, el relato que da título a la antología. Acompañaremos a la joven Jill en el incierto viaje que hace con su tío Rowan Billiet. A través de sus recuerdos en forma de "confesión".
Relato duro pero me ha dejado un poco fría.
-"Es la Noche del Diablo, cuando los adolescentes sin supervisión pueden cometer travesuras serias."-
⚫ En El Pasadizo nos encontramos con una viuda que no puede evitar volver a la casa en la que convivió hace siete años con su difunto marido. Me ha encantado. ¡Qué final! Claustrofóbico. Angustiante. Sublime. Merecido premio Edgar al mejor relato breve 😍
-"Por favor. Haces que nos sintamos incómodos. Siempre estás vigilándonos, rondándonos como un fantasma..."-
⚫ En Desengaño, asistiremos al relato en primera persona de Stephanie, una adolescente de 13 años que se siente a la sombra de su hermana Caitlin, y veremos las aventuras de ambas con el "medio" primo de estas, Hunt. Final previsible pero disfrutable.
⚫ En La chica ahogada, relato claramente inspirado en Elisa Lam, la joven que desapareció misteriosamente en el Hotel Cecil de Los Ángeles (aprovecho y abro paréntesis para recomendarles la serie documental sobre el caso en Netflix), nos sumergiremos en un relato cargado de emoción y obsesión por una joven de esclarecer que pasó realmente con la susodicha joven. Misterio resuelto, ¿o no?
-"Abrí el grifo en mi lavabo, y el agua que salió, [...] era de un repugnante color amarillento y apestaba a excrementos."-
⚫ En Situaciones, leeremos eso, tres situaciones dispares con un mismo hilo conductor: gatitos. Para mi el más flojo de la colección sin duda. O quizás sea yo, que no he sabido captar el mensaje de la autora.
-"Eso había pasado antes, aunque no de la misma manera, y cuando una cosa pasa de forma parecida a una anterior es más terrible que si no hubiera ocurrido antes, de la forma que fuera."-
⚫ La garza azulada. Sobrecogedor y doloroso relato sobre la soledad que conlleva la viudez. Se te encoge el corazón con las últimas líneas.
-"Ahora sólo quiero hacer el bien. Quiero ser buena. Si soy buena, todo dará marcha atrás y esto tan horrible no habrá ocurrido."-
⚫ Y, por último, ¡Bienvenidos al vuelo entre amigos!, nos encontramos con una hilarante historia. Un cambio radical de tercio. Ha desentonado demasiado con el conjunto y no ha sido de mi agrado, por lo que ha sido el que menos he disfrutado. Desde luego que no es mi tipo de humor 😂😂😂
Ha sido una primera impresión muy grata. Ese aire malsano y pútrido que impregna cada página me ha tenido totalmente absorta y prácticamente lo he devorado.
Ahora tendré que buscar más obras suyas y me temo que no son pocas. ¡Necesito más vidas para poder leer todo lo que quiero por favor! 😂
¿Qué obra de ella me recomiendan? ¿Cuál es la que más desasosiego les ha producido? Me encantan ese tipo de historias que te calan y te hacen encogerte de la emoción. ¡Los leo! 👀
Para seguirme en mi pequeño rincón ❤ ➡ https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib... Muchísimas gracias 😊
May 31, 2017
3.5★
I was so looking forward to reading these stories, knowing how popular the author is, but I’m afraid none of them lit much of a spark for me.
Most are narrated by a girl or woman, all of them seemingly negatively affected by what other people have said about them. The characters are certainly peculiar enough that the reader is never quite sure if perhaps some of those other people are right.
The first is the title story “Dis mem ber”, about a girl who’s flattered by the attention of her “step-cousin”, whom her friends describe as a lighter-haired Elvis. He’s no longer in high school, uses bad language which makes her giggle, and seems to like her, meeting her after school, when she tells her mother she’s with friends. As they begin cruising parking lots and such, the story takes a darker, creepier turn.
In the second story “The Crawl Space”, a widow appears to be stalking her old home. She thinks back on her life with her husband and wonders what might have been had they lived differently.
“Approaching the house she begins to feel her heartbeat quickening. A visceral alertness of the kind you might feel approaching the edge of a great height. Vertigo, it is called. A sensation of dread, and yet yearning.
You dare not approach—yet, you are drawn to approach. Almost, you feel an opened hand on the small of your back, gently pushing. ‘Come here! Come forward. Yes! You know exactly what to do.’”
The new owners invite her in, saying mysteriously that "'there seem to be things of yours still in the house, of which you’re probably not aware.’”
Every story seems to have someone who’s not quite rational, whether from grief or jealousy or anger doesn’t matter. They are capable of doing something unexpected, which makes for a bit of page-turning, but there wasn’t enough to really hold my interest.
The last story “Welcome to Friendly Skies!” was a hoot! It’s the in-flight announcements to passengers on a small flight to Alaska, and the crazier each announcement is, the more terrified the passengers must feel.
First, the pilot is introduced as having returned from Afghanistan and a “restorative sabbatical at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia to his ‘first love’—civilian piloting for North American Airways.”
Then, after explaining why there are too many passengers on board because of common airline policy of overbooking, the announcement goes on to say:
“We have dealt with the emergency situation by assigning sets in four lavatories as well as in the hold and in designated areas of the overhead bin.”
That story and some of the odd characters in the other stories are enough to encourage me to look for some more of Oates’s very popular work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted. These stories have been published previously in various magazines and publications.
I was so looking forward to reading these stories, knowing how popular the author is, but I’m afraid none of them lit much of a spark for me.
Most are narrated by a girl or woman, all of them seemingly negatively affected by what other people have said about them. The characters are certainly peculiar enough that the reader is never quite sure if perhaps some of those other people are right.
The first is the title story “Dis mem ber”, about a girl who’s flattered by the attention of her “step-cousin”, whom her friends describe as a lighter-haired Elvis. He’s no longer in high school, uses bad language which makes her giggle, and seems to like her, meeting her after school, when she tells her mother she’s with friends. As they begin cruising parking lots and such, the story takes a darker, creepier turn.
In the second story “The Crawl Space”, a widow appears to be stalking her old home. She thinks back on her life with her husband and wonders what might have been had they lived differently.
“Approaching the house she begins to feel her heartbeat quickening. A visceral alertness of the kind you might feel approaching the edge of a great height. Vertigo, it is called. A sensation of dread, and yet yearning.
You dare not approach—yet, you are drawn to approach. Almost, you feel an opened hand on the small of your back, gently pushing. ‘Come here! Come forward. Yes! You know exactly what to do.’”
The new owners invite her in, saying mysteriously that "'there seem to be things of yours still in the house, of which you’re probably not aware.’”
Every story seems to have someone who’s not quite rational, whether from grief or jealousy or anger doesn’t matter. They are capable of doing something unexpected, which makes for a bit of page-turning, but there wasn’t enough to really hold my interest.
The last story “Welcome to Friendly Skies!” was a hoot! It’s the in-flight announcements to passengers on a small flight to Alaska, and the crazier each announcement is, the more terrified the passengers must feel.
First, the pilot is introduced as having returned from Afghanistan and a “restorative sabbatical at the VA Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia to his ‘first love’—civilian piloting for North American Airways.”
Then, after explaining why there are too many passengers on board because of common airline policy of overbooking, the announcement goes on to say:
“We have dealt with the emergency situation by assigning sets in four lavatories as well as in the hold and in designated areas of the overhead bin.”
That story and some of the odd characters in the other stories are enough to encourage me to look for some more of Oates’s very popular work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted. These stories have been published previously in various magazines and publications.
June 26, 2017
I’ve always wanted to read a Joyce Carol Oates book but never have until now - and I’m not encouraged to read any more! Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense is a collection of seven horror short stories, none of which are especially good.
The title story is interesting in a morbid way - it’s about a pedo killer, narrated by a little girl who sorta knew him. The dark details of the murders grabs your attention for its shock value but it’s not at all a great story. The Crawl Space is probably my favourite of the bunch - Oates doing her own modern version of Poe’s Cask of Amontillado (also one of my favourite Poe stories).
The rest of the book is total crap. Heartbreak is a dull story about a teenage girl who feels left out and does something crazy; I didn’t get The Situations at all - something about an evil father who drowns kittens and some stranger in a town somewhere?! Welcome to Friendly Skies! is a bad David Sedaris-wannabe story with Oates proving comedy is beyond her abilities.
Unfortunately the two longest stories are also the worst. The Drowned Girl is about a student who’s obsessed with the corpse of another girl student who died in a water tank at the top of a university building. It reminded me of the real life case of Elisa Lam which I guess is what inspired this story. Oates doesn’t really do much with the material though, just kinda makes her already-tense protagonist become more unhinged until the terribly weak ending.
Great Blue Heron features another unstable female narrator. A widow deals with her husband’s death while being badgered by her obnoxious brother-in-law. It goes for a magical realist vague finale that I didn’t care about one bit because everything preceding it sucked.
Elements here and there might work in the hands of a better horror writer but Oates’ execution is very lacking, particularly the characters’ voices which are uniformly timid and unimpressive. In trying to be more acceptably “literary”, her style dilutes the subject matter’s impact. I won’t remember any of these stories within the year and all I’ve taken away from this book is the knowledge that Joyce Carol Oates isn’t for me! Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense is definitely not recommended - check out Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Other Stories for quality horror shorts instead.
The title story is interesting in a morbid way - it’s about a pedo killer, narrated by a little girl who sorta knew him. The dark details of the murders grabs your attention for its shock value but it’s not at all a great story. The Crawl Space is probably my favourite of the bunch - Oates doing her own modern version of Poe’s Cask of Amontillado (also one of my favourite Poe stories).
The rest of the book is total crap. Heartbreak is a dull story about a teenage girl who feels left out and does something crazy; I didn’t get The Situations at all - something about an evil father who drowns kittens and some stranger in a town somewhere?! Welcome to Friendly Skies! is a bad David Sedaris-wannabe story with Oates proving comedy is beyond her abilities.
Unfortunately the two longest stories are also the worst. The Drowned Girl is about a student who’s obsessed with the corpse of another girl student who died in a water tank at the top of a university building. It reminded me of the real life case of Elisa Lam which I guess is what inspired this story. Oates doesn’t really do much with the material though, just kinda makes her already-tense protagonist become more unhinged until the terribly weak ending.
Great Blue Heron features another unstable female narrator. A widow deals with her husband’s death while being badgered by her obnoxious brother-in-law. It goes for a magical realist vague finale that I didn’t care about one bit because everything preceding it sucked.
Elements here and there might work in the hands of a better horror writer but Oates’ execution is very lacking, particularly the characters’ voices which are uniformly timid and unimpressive. In trying to be more acceptably “literary”, her style dilutes the subject matter’s impact. I won’t remember any of these stories within the year and all I’ve taken away from this book is the knowledge that Joyce Carol Oates isn’t for me! Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense is definitely not recommended - check out Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Other Stories for quality horror shorts instead.
February 14, 2018
Sin alcanzar la excelencia, Desmembrado me ha parecido un conjunto bastante sólido de historias que diseccionan el lado tenebroso de lo cotidiano, una incursión incómoda en los bajos fondos de la naturaleza humana que explora la capacidad de los inocentes y los desprotegidos para obrar el mal sin remordimientos. En las historias de Desmembrado, la presencia masculina se erige en ocasiones como un elemento de contención que protege a niñas y adolescentes de cuantos depredadores merodean a su alrededor. En su ausencia, los diques y barreras se desploman. El horror campa a sus anchas. Y las mujeres, cual fieras, sacan las uñas.
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
June 9, 2017
Dis Mem Ber is an excellent collection of stories previously published elsewhere. The only threads they have in common is that they are all from a woman's point of view, (except for WELCOME TO FRIENDLY SKIES!), and they are all unsettling.
My favorite had to be the first story, DISMEMBER, in which a young girl narrowly escapes what could have been a nasty end.
HEARTBREAK was the story of two sisters, one beautiful and the other, not so much. Sometimes jealousy can get out of hand, before we even realize we are jealous.
I also enjoyed BLUE HERON quite a bit. This is the story of a widow dealing with her grief while trying to avoid her scummy brother-in-law who wants her to sell her lake-house.
Lastly, WELCOME TO FRIENDLY SKIES! had to be one of the funniest stories I've read in years. I'm not going to say anything further about it, as I think it's best to go into it cold.
Overall, this was a satisfying collection of stories from one of the masters of American short fiction.
Highly recommended!
You can get your copy here: DIS MEM BER and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense
*Thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
My favorite had to be the first story, DISMEMBER, in which a young girl narrowly escapes what could have been a nasty end.
HEARTBREAK was the story of two sisters, one beautiful and the other, not so much. Sometimes jealousy can get out of hand, before we even realize we are jealous.
I also enjoyed BLUE HERON quite a bit. This is the story of a widow dealing with her grief while trying to avoid her scummy brother-in-law who wants her to sell her lake-house.
Lastly, WELCOME TO FRIENDLY SKIES! had to be one of the funniest stories I've read in years. I'm not going to say anything further about it, as I think it's best to go into it cold.
Overall, this was a satisfying collection of stories from one of the masters of American short fiction.
Highly recommended!
You can get your copy here: DIS MEM BER and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense
*Thanks to NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
September 24, 2021
"Cómo se parecen nuestras vidas a la ciencia ficción, piensa. Inocentes e ignorantes, continuamos existiendo como lo hemos venido haciendo en un universo alternativo, sin ser conscientes de que, en otro universo, hemos dejado de existir" (p. 64).
Inocentes, inquietantes y sobrecogedores: Así fue como percibí los cuentos incluídos en esta antología de Joyce Carol Oates. Una autora a quien siempre había querido leer, pero que, debido a diversos motivos, nunca me había atrevido.
Sin embargo, una vez que leí las primeras líneas de este volúmen, supe que finalmente había llegado el momento de hacerlo. Sobre todo considerando cómo empieza el cuento cuyo título representa esta antología. Con una niña que, en su inocencia, decide subirse al auto de un primo, convencida de que éste va a enseñarle algo "muy importante" que ella jamás podrá olvidar...
Las protagonistas de estos cuentos son mujeres enfrentadas a situaciones de extrema vulnerabilidad. Situaciones, cuyas consecuencias no solo las convierten en víctimas inevitables de sus historias, sino también, en individuos capaces de la más extrema violencia.
Los cuentos son tremendos, y la prosa de Oates me atrapó por completo. El único relato que me dejó un poco desconcertada fue el titulado 'Situaciones'. Creo que no lo entendí realmente y por eso me dejó tan perpleja, pero bueno, es precisamente por eso que me gustan los cuentos: muchas veces son acertijos a los que debes volver una y otra vez para poder comprenderlos.
A continuación, mi puntuación de los cuentos:
'Desmembrado': 4⭐/5.
'El pasadizo': 5⭐/5.
'Desengaño': 5⭐/5.
'La chica ahogada': 3⭐/5.
'Situaciones': 2⭐/5.
'La garza azulada': 4⭐/5.
'¡Bienvenidos al vuelo entre amigos!: 3⭐/5.
Inocentes, inquietantes y sobrecogedores: Así fue como percibí los cuentos incluídos en esta antología de Joyce Carol Oates. Una autora a quien siempre había querido leer, pero que, debido a diversos motivos, nunca me había atrevido.
Sin embargo, una vez que leí las primeras líneas de este volúmen, supe que finalmente había llegado el momento de hacerlo. Sobre todo considerando cómo empieza el cuento cuyo título representa esta antología. Con una niña que, en su inocencia, decide subirse al auto de un primo, convencida de que éste va a enseñarle algo "muy importante" que ella jamás podrá olvidar...
Las protagonistas de estos cuentos son mujeres enfrentadas a situaciones de extrema vulnerabilidad. Situaciones, cuyas consecuencias no solo las convierten en víctimas inevitables de sus historias, sino también, en individuos capaces de la más extrema violencia.
Los cuentos son tremendos, y la prosa de Oates me atrapó por completo. El único relato que me dejó un poco desconcertada fue el titulado 'Situaciones'. Creo que no lo entendí realmente y por eso me dejó tan perpleja, pero bueno, es precisamente por eso que me gustan los cuentos: muchas veces son acertijos a los que debes volver una y otra vez para poder comprenderlos.
A continuación, mi puntuación de los cuentos:
'Desmembrado': 4⭐/5.
'El pasadizo': 5⭐/5.
'Desengaño': 5⭐/5.
'La chica ahogada': 3⭐/5.
'Situaciones': 2⭐/5.
'La garza azulada': 4⭐/5.
'¡Bienvenidos al vuelo entre amigos!: 3⭐/5.
October 17, 2023
i thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, and the horror being dark in more subtle, sinister ways really worked for me. i flew through this book - 4 stars.
March 13, 2022
Nunca había leído a Joyce Carol Oates antes, pero por supuesto había leído y visto distintas opiniones sobre sus otros libros. Como la editorial Gatopardo ediciones es un nuevo sello que tiene la Editorial Océano en su catálogo quise darle una oportunidad a esta autora y ya de paso ver cómo eran las ediciones de esta editorial, valga la redundancia.
Desmembrado se llama el libro y tiene este nombre por el primer relato que nos encontramos en él. No les dije antes, pero este es un libro de relatos de distinta extensión. Voy a dar una pequeña opinión de cada uno de ellos.
Como les decía, comenzamos con DESMEMBRADO, un relato que me dolió, que me indignó, que me caló profundo. La protagonista es Jill, una niña de once años "precoz". Una niña que es el reflejo de muchas niñas. Niñas a las que luego se señalan, niñas que terminan -y perdónenme el uso de esta palabra- jodidas totalmente por culpa de adultos que se suponen deben cuidarlas.
EL PASADIZO me pareció un relato brillante. Me encanta cómo la autora construyó la trama, cómo fue hilando todo. El final es tremendo. No quiero decirles mucho, pero realmente se podía sentir la vulnerabilidad de esa viuda, esa mujer que seguía atada a su marido y a los recuerdos que compartían a pesar de que este había muerto siete años atrás.
DESENGAÑO me dejó pensando. Es un relato bastante fuerte porque vemos cómo las situaciones o circunstancias llevan a los desenlaces. Pone en palabras cómo una adolescente que está convirtiéndose en mujer pasa de víctima a victimaria... pero porque se ve incitada por ciertas cosas o miradas masculinas, si se quiere.
SITUACIONES es el más corto en extensión y es el que menos me gustó. No le encontré sentido a esos acontecimientos. No entiendo a cuento de qué la autora escribió eso. Creo que sobra y desentona totalmente con el resto del libro.
LA GARZA AZULADA Y LA MEJOR AHOGADA fueron dos relatos que ni fu ni fa. No llegaron a no gustarme, pero tampoco me deslumbraron como los primeros.
¡BIENVENIDOS AL VUELO ENTRE AMIGOS! ... al principio pensé que no lo había entendido, pero lo cierto es que este relato es claramente una metáfora a cómo muchas veces firmamos / aceptamos / nos metemos de lleno en cosas que no entendemos o que desconocemos por completo.
Si hago un promedio, creo que en realidad serían 3.5 estrellas. Me parece que este fue un buen acercamiento a la prosa de la autora, aunque creo que puso los mejores relatos al principio y luego todo fue medio que desinflándose.
Desmembrado se llama el libro y tiene este nombre por el primer relato que nos encontramos en él. No les dije antes, pero este es un libro de relatos de distinta extensión. Voy a dar una pequeña opinión de cada uno de ellos.
Como les decía, comenzamos con DESMEMBRADO, un relato que me dolió, que me indignó, que me caló profundo. La protagonista es Jill, una niña de once años "precoz". Una niña que es el reflejo de muchas niñas. Niñas a las que luego se señalan, niñas que terminan -y perdónenme el uso de esta palabra- jodidas totalmente por culpa de adultos que se suponen deben cuidarlas.
EL PASADIZO me pareció un relato brillante. Me encanta cómo la autora construyó la trama, cómo fue hilando todo. El final es tremendo. No quiero decirles mucho, pero realmente se podía sentir la vulnerabilidad de esa viuda, esa mujer que seguía atada a su marido y a los recuerdos que compartían a pesar de que este había muerto siete años atrás.
DESENGAÑO me dejó pensando. Es un relato bastante fuerte porque vemos cómo las situaciones o circunstancias llevan a los desenlaces. Pone en palabras cómo una adolescente que está convirtiéndose en mujer pasa de víctima a victimaria... pero porque se ve incitada por ciertas cosas o miradas masculinas, si se quiere.
SITUACIONES es el más corto en extensión y es el que menos me gustó. No le encontré sentido a esos acontecimientos. No entiendo a cuento de qué la autora escribió eso. Creo que sobra y desentona totalmente con el resto del libro.
LA GARZA AZULADA Y LA MEJOR AHOGADA fueron dos relatos que ni fu ni fa. No llegaron a no gustarme, pero tampoco me deslumbraron como los primeros.
¡BIENVENIDOS AL VUELO ENTRE AMIGOS! ... al principio pensé que no lo había entendido, pero lo cierto es que este relato es claramente una metáfora a cómo muchas veces firmamos / aceptamos / nos metemos de lleno en cosas que no entendemos o que desconocemos por completo.
Si hago un promedio, creo que en realidad serían 3.5 estrellas. Me parece que este fue un buen acercamiento a la prosa de la autora, aunque creo que puso los mejores relatos al principio y luego todo fue medio que desinflándose.
June 3, 2017
This is a collection of short stories published in various magazines by Joyce Carol Oates over the past couple of years. Many are dark with horror floating just under the surface. You can read as much or as little into them as you like. Oates writes with so many layers I'm sure I missed as many metaphors as I found.
The short story Dismember is one of my least favourite stories in this collection. It is a story of abduction and control, of horrors no family wants a part of but cannot always avoid.
The Crawl Space
A widow “haunts” the home she and her husband once shared.She drives by this house day after day for seven years until one day the current owners invite her in telling her they’ve found some boxes left behind by her husband in a crawl space in the basement. An introspective look at a woman damaged by life with a surprising conclusion.
Heartbreak
A young girl's feelings of isolation when her mother remarries and she and her sister learn to live with their stepfather, the intimidating Mr. Lesinger. Prepubescent jealousy, budding interest in boys and easy access to firearms make this another chilling look at the human condition.
The Drowned Girl
A young woman enrolls in a general studies program at a university. Rumours of a coed found dead in a water tank on the roof of her apartment building the year before she arrived fascinates Alida. The woman had not been found for eleven days, her decomposing body contaminating the plumbing in the Magellan. When found, her death is ruled an accident or suicide. The more Alida questions the lack of results from the investigation, the more difficulties she has in school. It reads like a nightmare you have where everything that can possibly go wrong in your life is going wrong and you are helpless to pull yourself away.
The Situations
An odd story about a dad who lets his children know he is in charge. An unpleasant tale.
Great Blue Heron
A widow's grief. The Great Blue, a metaphor for death; cold, calculating, ruthlessly efficient. Powerful prose and the highlight of this book of short stories.
Welcome to the Friendly Skies
Tongue-in-cheek look at the not so friendly skies for today's passengers. This flight to Amchitka, Alaska has the best safety instructions ever. After many a grim read, this short story lifted my mood and raised my rating for this collection from 3.5 stars to a solid 4 star read.
A disturbing and delightful read.
The short story Dismember is one of my least favourite stories in this collection. It is a story of abduction and control, of horrors no family wants a part of but cannot always avoid.
The Crawl Space
A widow “haunts” the home she and her husband once shared.She drives by this house day after day for seven years until one day the current owners invite her in telling her they’ve found some boxes left behind by her husband in a crawl space in the basement. An introspective look at a woman damaged by life with a surprising conclusion.
Heartbreak
A young girl's feelings of isolation when her mother remarries and she and her sister learn to live with their stepfather, the intimidating Mr. Lesinger. Prepubescent jealousy, budding interest in boys and easy access to firearms make this another chilling look at the human condition.
The Drowned Girl
A young woman enrolls in a general studies program at a university. Rumours of a coed found dead in a water tank on the roof of her apartment building the year before she arrived fascinates Alida. The woman had not been found for eleven days, her decomposing body contaminating the plumbing in the Magellan. When found, her death is ruled an accident or suicide. The more Alida questions the lack of results from the investigation, the more difficulties she has in school. It reads like a nightmare you have where everything that can possibly go wrong in your life is going wrong and you are helpless to pull yourself away.
The Situations
An odd story about a dad who lets his children know he is in charge. An unpleasant tale.
Great Blue Heron
A widow's grief. The Great Blue, a metaphor for death; cold, calculating, ruthlessly efficient. Powerful prose and the highlight of this book of short stories.
Welcome to the Friendly Skies
Tongue-in-cheek look at the not so friendly skies for today's passengers. This flight to Amchitka, Alaska has the best safety instructions ever. After many a grim read, this short story lifted my mood and raised my rating for this collection from 3.5 stars to a solid 4 star read.
A disturbing and delightful read.
February 5, 2024
3.5
Es una antología irregular, como suele pasar en muchos libros de cuentos. Se mezcla el terror con el thriller. Los cuentos son muy perturbadores, algo a lo que Joyce nos tiene acostumbrados, pero esta vez encontré una pizca de posibilidad en todo aquello que resulta aún más aterrador.
Algunos son casos bien policiales como el de una mujer encontrada muerta en un tanque de agua y otros rozan con la delgada línea entre lo fantástico y lo real, línea que muchas veces se cruza en la locura.
Los cuentos «El pasadizo» y «La garza azulada» me parecieron los más destacables, ambos tienen a una viuda como protagonista y hay una voz en off, misteriosa, que emerge entre los párrafos a veces a modo de consciencia y otras veces a modo de advertencia.
Es de esperarse que Joyce juegue con los giros, hay varios, sus relatos nunca van hacia donde queremos que vayan y eso es lo que creo que me mantendrá siempre cautiva de su narrativa.
Es una antología irregular, como suele pasar en muchos libros de cuentos. Se mezcla el terror con el thriller. Los cuentos son muy perturbadores, algo a lo que Joyce nos tiene acostumbrados, pero esta vez encontré una pizca de posibilidad en todo aquello que resulta aún más aterrador.
Algunos son casos bien policiales como el de una mujer encontrada muerta en un tanque de agua y otros rozan con la delgada línea entre lo fantástico y lo real, línea que muchas veces se cruza en la locura.
Los cuentos «El pasadizo» y «La garza azulada» me parecieron los más destacables, ambos tienen a una viuda como protagonista y hay una voz en off, misteriosa, que emerge entre los párrafos a veces a modo de consciencia y otras veces a modo de advertencia.
Es de esperarse que Joyce juegue con los giros, hay varios, sus relatos nunca van hacia donde queremos que vayan y eso es lo que creo que me mantendrá siempre cautiva de su narrativa.
May 5, 2025
Esta mujer merece un Premio Nobel.
October 2, 2021
Me encantó! Lo siniestro, lo raro y lo extraño a la orden del día y presente en todos los cuentos. Una joya de libro.
March 9, 2017
This collects together seven short stories by JCO, all published elsewhere in 2016. The first six work together very well, reflecting and refracting themes of violence and diseased minds in family or neighbourhood settings. Images of dolls' faces reappear, often in different contexts, adding to the atmosphere of unease and menace - sometimes for explicit, often for more oblique reasons. JCO's trademark twisting of the 'ordinary' ('It's an ordinary evening. (But why then was she so frightened? The ordinary does not provoke fear.)') reappears, as do issues of the family, and 'step' or quasi family relations: those marginal or liminal sites for what turns out to be an unnerving closeness.
The final story is a black and funny satire on modern air travel as JCO dissects the captain's safety announcement, that ritual from which many of us switch off: 'if the vest fails to INFLATE by way of the red tabs, it may be orally inflated by a strenuous, superhuman blowing into the inflation tubes at shoulder level, roughly equivalent, it has been estimated, to the effort required to blow up three hundred average-sized party balloons within a few minutes. Good luck with this!')
If you haven't experienced JCO before then her short stories are not nearly as rich as her novels - but these do offer a taster of her frequently macabre and unflinching imagination as well as her clean, crisp yet subtly wrenching prose: 3.5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
The final story is a black and funny satire on modern air travel as JCO dissects the captain's safety announcement, that ritual from which many of us switch off: 'if the vest fails to INFLATE by way of the red tabs, it may be orally inflated by a strenuous, superhuman blowing into the inflation tubes at shoulder level, roughly equivalent, it has been estimated, to the effort required to blow up three hundred average-sized party balloons within a few minutes. Good luck with this!')
If you haven't experienced JCO before then her short stories are not nearly as rich as her novels - but these do offer a taster of her frequently macabre and unflinching imagination as well as her clean, crisp yet subtly wrenching prose: 3.5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
June 5, 2017
Short stories have always been a mixed bag for me. I've only read a few compilations outside of Stephen King and even with him, I find myself not as engaged or pleased with most of them. Done right, short stories can pack a huge punch and is probably one of the hardest writing styles to accomplish. Presented with the chance to read Oates for the first time and read a collection consisting of mysteries and suspense, how could I pass this up??
There are 7 stories compiled into less than 250 pages. While some I just did NOT get, others hit the mark for me. My standouts in this collection would be Heartbreak, Great Blue Heron and Welcome to Friendly Skies! The last one being satirical and after SO MUCH traveling this past month it just made me nod my head like mmm hmmm ... yep, sounds about right.. yep, that too... oh Joyce, you know your travel don't you? ;)
On a nit picky level, I prefer to read stories with more dialogue and there's little in this collection. I also felt that some things seemed repetitive or a continuous theme throughout some of the stories (but maybe that was intentional?). Each story but the last seem to be geared towards females, reflective of the frail nature that can turn deadly in an instant, or a strange family dynamic. All fascinating for me... I just wish there had been a bit more variety and a bit more story - which is the issue I have with short stories most of the time, I'm left wanting. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Oates's other works as I do like where her mind tends to veer toward.
Big thanks to Mysterious Press and Grove Atlantic for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.
There are 7 stories compiled into less than 250 pages. While some I just did NOT get, others hit the mark for me. My standouts in this collection would be Heartbreak, Great Blue Heron and Welcome to Friendly Skies! The last one being satirical and after SO MUCH traveling this past month it just made me nod my head like mmm hmmm ... yep, sounds about right.. yep, that too... oh Joyce, you know your travel don't you? ;)
On a nit picky level, I prefer to read stories with more dialogue and there's little in this collection. I also felt that some things seemed repetitive or a continuous theme throughout some of the stories (but maybe that was intentional?). Each story but the last seem to be geared towards females, reflective of the frail nature that can turn deadly in an instant, or a strange family dynamic. All fascinating for me... I just wish there had been a bit more variety and a bit more story - which is the issue I have with short stories most of the time, I'm left wanting. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Oates's other works as I do like where her mind tends to veer toward.
Big thanks to Mysterious Press and Grove Atlantic for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.
February 8, 2018
When a man is irritated, it's like he might flail out with his fists. Not hard, and not to hurt, not even on purpose, but he might do it reflexively, and you might get hurt if you are standing too close. And if a man hurts you, and you show that hurt, and your eyes lock with his, he will never forgive you. For you will always be the girl he has hurt, which means you are the girl he can always hurt again.
DIS MEM BER: ★★★☆☆
The Crawl Space: ★★☆☆☆
Heartbreak: ★★★★★
The Drowned Girl: ★★★★★
The Situations: ★★☆☆☆
Great Blue Heron: ★★★★★
Welcome to Friendly Skies!: ★☆☆☆☆
Speed review: Ready, Set, Go
Why I Read This: Joyce Carol Oates was on my to do list and it was on the new fiction rack at the library.
Holds Hands With: "The Yellow Wallpaper"
What I Loved: The feverish, violent gems that don't quite conform to feminist tropes, yet remain unabashedly grounded in women's lives and reality. The touch of magical realism that could be madness.
What I Hated: Some of the stories were big misses; too long and actually conformed just fine to feminist tropes (not good ones).
Yea or Nay?: Definitely give "Heartbreak," "The Drowned Girl," and "Great Blue Heron" a read. Fantastic storytelling. YMMV on the rest.
DIS MEM BER: ★★★☆☆
The Crawl Space: ★★☆☆☆
Heartbreak: ★★★★★
The Drowned Girl: ★★★★★
The Situations: ★★☆☆☆
Great Blue Heron: ★★★★★
Welcome to Friendly Skies!: ★☆☆☆☆
Speed review: Ready, Set, Go
Why I Read This: Joyce Carol Oates was on my to do list and it was on the new fiction rack at the library.
Holds Hands With: "The Yellow Wallpaper"
What I Loved: The feverish, violent gems that don't quite conform to feminist tropes, yet remain unabashedly grounded in women's lives and reality. The touch of magical realism that could be madness.
What I Hated: Some of the stories were big misses; too long and actually conformed just fine to feminist tropes (not good ones).
Yea or Nay?: Definitely give "Heartbreak," "The Drowned Girl," and "Great Blue Heron" a read. Fantastic storytelling. YMMV on the rest.
May 3, 2017
This is a selection short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. Some are disturbing, some are just plain scary. All have to do with the unknown ...
These are the ones I found most memorable .....
DIS MEM BER ---
What happens when a young girl brushes elbows with a serial killer
THE CRAWL SPACE ---
When her husband dies, she begins visiting the home they once shared. The new tenants invite her in ... they hav found some boxes in the crawl space that belong to her or to her late husband. What she finds in the crawl space is not what she expected.
THE DROWNED GIRL ---
A new university student obsesses over the horrible death of another student
Other Stories: Heartbreak - The Situations - Great Blue Heron - Welcome To The Friendly Skies
These are very short stories , well-written, guaranteed to make you shudder in the middle of the night.
Many thanks to the author / Grove Atlantic / Mysterious Press / Netgalley for the uncorrected advance proof of DIS MEM BER. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
These are the ones I found most memorable .....
DIS MEM BER ---
What happens when a young girl brushes elbows with a serial killer
THE CRAWL SPACE ---
When her husband dies, she begins visiting the home they once shared. The new tenants invite her in ... they hav found some boxes in the crawl space that belong to her or to her late husband. What she finds in the crawl space is not what she expected.
THE DROWNED GIRL ---
A new university student obsesses over the horrible death of another student
Other Stories: Heartbreak - The Situations - Great Blue Heron - Welcome To The Friendly Skies
These are very short stories , well-written, guaranteed to make you shudder in the middle of the night.
Many thanks to the author / Grove Atlantic / Mysterious Press / Netgalley for the uncorrected advance proof of DIS MEM BER. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
January 27, 2017
This is a collection of previously published stories, that are both dark and delightful. My favorites were as follows.
In my opinion the best was definitely saved for last, as I laughed my way through the final story “Welcome to Friendly Skies” while thinking yes I have flown on this over booked plane, no seat left for you? stuff yourself in the overhead compartment. A dark satire that filled me with dread and giggles.
I also enjoyed the first story "Dismember" though poor Jill should have chosen a better role model.
"Great Blue Heron" was an amazing story of fear and grief culminating in a satisfying twist at the end. "Heartbreak" is what happens when Stephanie's jealousy of her sister gets the best of her.
All in all a good solid collection that is well worth a read.
I received an advance copy for review
In my opinion the best was definitely saved for last, as I laughed my way through the final story “Welcome to Friendly Skies” while thinking yes I have flown on this over booked plane, no seat left for you? stuff yourself in the overhead compartment. A dark satire that filled me with dread and giggles.
I also enjoyed the first story "Dismember" though poor Jill should have chosen a better role model.
"Great Blue Heron" was an amazing story of fear and grief culminating in a satisfying twist at the end. "Heartbreak" is what happens when Stephanie's jealousy of her sister gets the best of her.
All in all a good solid collection that is well worth a read.
I received an advance copy for review
July 5, 2023
Este libro es una serie de cuentos acerca de opresionbes, maltratos, luchas que hemos tenido con otros seres humanos, en particular con seres muy cercanos. Los protagonistas son mujeres, que han sido oprimidas por sus padres, hermanos, primos, o parejas. Vemos a una mujer tranquila, pero que al romperse el mumdo en que vive, la realidad se le confunde con la imaginación (Tipor Tess), Otra historia de una niña que ve como su familia es asesinada, etc.
Con la característica de esta autora en que en todas sus historias da un toque macabro, es un libro para disfruten, a quienes gusten de est género.
R.
Con la característica de esta autora en que en todas sus historias da un toque macabro, es un libro para disfruten, a quienes gusten de est género.
R.
January 30, 2017
An excellent collection of short stories! I love Oates' talent for telling deeply unsettling stories that stay long with you after you're finished reading. Some recurring themes are women and violence against them, the rivalry between siblings, and death. She effortlessly combines the mundane with the mysterious and magical and delves deeply into the human mind. But beware! What you find there is definitely not beautiful. I also like her straightforward style with its elliptic sentences that are nevertheless rich in detail and which create a very realistic atmosphere. If you like neatly wrapped-up stories and lots of answers, you should stay away from this collection as there are open endings or just lose ends the reader has to tie up. In my opinion, that leaves room for interpretation and makes for an unforgettable reading experience.
In short, you don't read Joyce Carol Oates to have a good night's sleep, but to wake up. Read the stories, take a look at those around you, then turn your gaze inward, and feel the apprehension at beholding the same disconcerting character traits and storylines in yourself and those around you.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to netgalley and Grove Atlantic Mysterious Press)
In short, you don't read Joyce Carol Oates to have a good night's sleep, but to wake up. Read the stories, take a look at those around you, then turn your gaze inward, and feel the apprehension at beholding the same disconcerting character traits and storylines in yourself and those around you.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to netgalley and Grove Atlantic Mysterious Press)
March 15, 2021
It remains a marvel to me that Oates can release new work at such an unrelentingly rapid pace, while maintaining such incisive patience and focus within the work itself. Such razor-sharp study that cuts into its subject with elegant precision, carving through layers and along edges and weak-points as she probes after what she’s looking for.
You can almost feel her mind working through the issue of each story with a craftsmanship and analytical rigor that never denies the story room to breathe, even as you can see (some of) the confines within which she’s working. It’s a paradoxical space that feels similar to that of, say, David Cronenberg movies. There’s an artifice there, almost like when you can tell an outdoor scene was shot on a soundstage or backlot.
And yet there’s a real character and personality there too. It’s not that the characters are reductive or simplistic so much as the situation of the story magnifies certain attributes that become the center of attention and study.
It’s a weird space, and almost no author I’ve read achieves this quite like Oates. And for that her work is endlessly interesting to me.
My favorites in this volume:
“The Crawl Space”
“The Drowned Girl”
“The Situations”
“Great Blue Heron”
You can almost feel her mind working through the issue of each story with a craftsmanship and analytical rigor that never denies the story room to breathe, even as you can see (some of) the confines within which she’s working. It’s a paradoxical space that feels similar to that of, say, David Cronenberg movies. There’s an artifice there, almost like when you can tell an outdoor scene was shot on a soundstage or backlot.
And yet there’s a real character and personality there too. It’s not that the characters are reductive or simplistic so much as the situation of the story magnifies certain attributes that become the center of attention and study.
It’s a weird space, and almost no author I’ve read achieves this quite like Oates. And for that her work is endlessly interesting to me.
My favorites in this volume:
“The Crawl Space”
“The Drowned Girl”
“The Situations”
“Great Blue Heron”
March 10, 2017
I have always had a great appreciation for Oates' writing. The fact that she writes so much at such a high quality amazes me even more. However, her stories don't amaze me as much as her writing does.
This book is a collection of short stories all containing a mystery at the heart of each story. While not a fan of horror, I do love good mystery and gothic stories. But all of these had more horror and weirdness to them then I prefer. There is some humor, but it did not sit well with me in these stories.
The stories also have another thing in common besides the fact that they are horror, the stories all have females as victims of something. It might be themselves, another female, the unknown. I had hoped to read about women showing their strength; however, these stories leave a lot to the imagination.
Rating: 2 stars = It was ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this free copy.
This book is a collection of short stories all containing a mystery at the heart of each story. While not a fan of horror, I do love good mystery and gothic stories. But all of these had more horror and weirdness to them then I prefer. There is some humor, but it did not sit well with me in these stories.
The stories also have another thing in common besides the fact that they are horror, the stories all have females as victims of something. It might be themselves, another female, the unknown. I had hoped to read about women showing their strength; however, these stories leave a lot to the imagination.
Rating: 2 stars = It was ok.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this free copy.
March 5, 2018
El título del primer relato,da lugar al nombre del libro,lo acompañan cinco relatos más .
Colección que ahonda en la vida de mujeres y niñas vulnerables:Unas víctimas ,otras con un profundo malestar emocional,que las lleva a cometer actos violentos .
Es raro que en un libro de relatos me gusten TODOS,como es el caso y más teniendo en cuenta que no es un tipo de temática que suela leer:es truculento,inquietante,sobrecogedor ,aterrorizan ciertos comportamientos humanos.
El segundo relato “El pasadizo”...al final,os prometo que me faltaba el aire,que angustia!.
Solo me atreví a leerlo porque la editorial es sinónimo de garantía y si ellos apostaron por este título ,merecía la pena salir de la zona de confort.
Si podéis darle una oportunidad,para mi ,solo la experiencia lectora que provoca lo vale : Las sensaciones,el rechazo a comportamientos humanos.
Cada relato que empiezas lo terminas del tirón ...no puedes parar de leerlo,sin duda la calidad de la pluma es excelente.
Colección que ahonda en la vida de mujeres y niñas vulnerables:Unas víctimas ,otras con un profundo malestar emocional,que las lleva a cometer actos violentos .
Es raro que en un libro de relatos me gusten TODOS,como es el caso y más teniendo en cuenta que no es un tipo de temática que suela leer:es truculento,inquietante,sobrecogedor ,aterrorizan ciertos comportamientos humanos.
El segundo relato “El pasadizo”...al final,os prometo que me faltaba el aire,que angustia!.
Solo me atreví a leerlo porque la editorial es sinónimo de garantía y si ellos apostaron por este título ,merecía la pena salir de la zona de confort.
Si podéis darle una oportunidad,para mi ,solo la experiencia lectora que provoca lo vale : Las sensaciones,el rechazo a comportamientos humanos.
Cada relato que empiezas lo terminas del tirón ...no puedes parar de leerlo,sin duda la calidad de la pluma es excelente.
February 22, 2018
Varios relatos, distintos entre si pero con un elemento en común... No cuento nada más para no desvelar mucho pero me han resultado muy interesantes algunos de ellos. El último, dentro del dramatismo me ha parecido de un humor negro excelente!
July 1, 2017
JCO is one of my writing idols. There are several stories in this collection that will haunt me.
Longer analysis to come!
Longer analysis to come!
June 1, 2017
It looks like Joyce Carol Oates, clearly a voracious writer, is putting out another short fiction collection close on the heels of the superlative The Doll-Master. Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense collects all her published short stories from 2016. That entails seven in total. The last collection was fully titled "The Doll-Master and other tales of terror". This new collection is correctly titled as tales of mystery and suspense as the horror aspect is toned down significantly. But the aspect of psychological dread remains in these tales. Oates' fiction is steeped in psychological nuances and these stories in Dis Mem Ber are no different. In fact, if you are looking for fiction with a punchline and a clear ending, I doubt if you will be happy with Oates. Yet if you want human frailty and complexity then she is the writer for you. There is a reason she is always mentioned in the "short list" of potential and future Nobel Prize winners in literature.
This collection is of the high quality you would expect from Oates but, at least for me, doesn't reach the high standard she made for herself in The Doll-Master. About four stories are excellent and hits me in my guts even with her subtleties. But the other three are more misses than hits. Of the successes, "Great Blue Heron" is the most beautifully written as it deals with a grieving widow who fantasizes over the predator bird on her lake with harrowing results. "Heartbreak" explores a competitive relationship between two young sisters and is the most directly powerful story of the lot. The title story examines similar young girl yearnings and fantasies of a young protagonist who may not be making the best decisions about who she hangs out with. "The Drowned Girl" is about a college student's obsession on a girl who drowned in a water tank. It's a sneaky little story about those dark obsessions that take us over. All four of these takes grabs on to some inner darknessof the reader just like the best Oates fiction is liable to do.
The other three works are of high quality but didn't really hold me. That is true especially for "Welcome to Friendly Skies!" which seems awkward. It may be possible evidence that humor is not the author's forte.
Yet four superlative stories of seven is not bad at all especially when the judgement is in the reader's subjective mind. What is unarguable is that any collection of Joyce Carol Oates will reward you with superb writing, dark imagery, and a glimpse into the human condition.
This collection is of the high quality you would expect from Oates but, at least for me, doesn't reach the high standard she made for herself in The Doll-Master. About four stories are excellent and hits me in my guts even with her subtleties. But the other three are more misses than hits. Of the successes, "Great Blue Heron" is the most beautifully written as it deals with a grieving widow who fantasizes over the predator bird on her lake with harrowing results. "Heartbreak" explores a competitive relationship between two young sisters and is the most directly powerful story of the lot. The title story examines similar young girl yearnings and fantasies of a young protagonist who may not be making the best decisions about who she hangs out with. "The Drowned Girl" is about a college student's obsession on a girl who drowned in a water tank. It's a sneaky little story about those dark obsessions that take us over. All four of these takes grabs on to some inner darknessof the reader just like the best Oates fiction is liable to do.
The other three works are of high quality but didn't really hold me. That is true especially for "Welcome to Friendly Skies!" which seems awkward. It may be possible evidence that humor is not the author's forte.
Yet four superlative stories of seven is not bad at all especially when the judgement is in the reader's subjective mind. What is unarguable is that any collection of Joyce Carol Oates will reward you with superb writing, dark imagery, and a glimpse into the human condition.
November 18, 2018
I was looking forward to this book of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed. While the majority of the stories began on a very intriguing note, they all ended very abruptly and lacking in any sort of closure at the end. The reader is left to imagine what might have been going on under the surface and since the narrators of these tales are unreliable, we are left with more questions than answers. The stories were wonderfully imagined. For me though, they lost something along the way, and left me flat. It seemed that one right after the other for the entirety of the book had little or no explanation at the end. Each time I started a new story I hoped for a better strategy by the author at the end, but reading between the lines is not my thing, so these stories were not for me.
February 8, 2024
Joyce Carol Oates es una de las autoras contemporáneas más prolíficas y su nombre ha estado los últimos años varias veces entre los favoritos para el Nobel.
Esta escritora estadounidense sabe contar historias espeluznantes sin importar el formato. Desde novelas extensas como “Zombi” donde se pone en
la piel del infame Caníbal de Milwaukee —célebre gracias a la serie de Netflix “Dahmer”— hasta los
relatos que reúne “Desmembrado” Oates no parece tener ningún reparo para mostrarnos su particular visión de temáticas nada convencionales como el abuso sexual infantil, el aborto clandestino o la cultura de las armas de fuego en su país.
Si bien los cuentos que conforman “Desmembrado” —escritos recientemente y publicados originalmente en diferentes revistas— no siguen las reglas convencionales del terror en el sentido más puro de lo que este género literario supone, bien pueden catalogarse dentro del mismo por la forma de tratar los temas centrales en cada relato, el ritmo y el estilo. Oates sabe ponerle los pelos de punta a sus lectores con temas tremendamente contingentes.
Si no conocen a esta escritora, “Desmembrado” es una excelente forma de introducirse en la que —para mí— es una de las mejores escritoras de ficción contemporánea.
Esta escritora estadounidense sabe contar historias espeluznantes sin importar el formato. Desde novelas extensas como “Zombi” donde se pone en
la piel del infame Caníbal de Milwaukee —célebre gracias a la serie de Netflix “Dahmer”— hasta los
relatos que reúne “Desmembrado” Oates no parece tener ningún reparo para mostrarnos su particular visión de temáticas nada convencionales como el abuso sexual infantil, el aborto clandestino o la cultura de las armas de fuego en su país.
Si bien los cuentos que conforman “Desmembrado” —escritos recientemente y publicados originalmente en diferentes revistas— no siguen las reglas convencionales del terror en el sentido más puro de lo que este género literario supone, bien pueden catalogarse dentro del mismo por la forma de tratar los temas centrales en cada relato, el ritmo y el estilo. Oates sabe ponerle los pelos de punta a sus lectores con temas tremendamente contingentes.
Si no conocen a esta escritora, “Desmembrado” es una excelente forma de introducirse en la que —para mí— es una de las mejores escritoras de ficción contemporánea.
June 18, 2017
Dis Mem Ber is another good set of creepy and unsettling stories from Joyce Carol Oates. The seven stories gathered here were all published elsewhere in 2016 and form a very good collection.
The stories feature some familiar Oates character types: controlling and domineering husbands, damaged and traumatised young women, a self-deluding student who may or may not have stumbled on something sinister and so on. Each story, some told in the first person and some in the third, portrays convincing characters whose story becomes very involving, often with a growing sense of menace. This is done with a light touch and by suggestion rather than explicit exposition and it is very skilful. I have to say that in a couple of the stories, The Drowned Girl and The Situations, it was *so* inexplicit that I'm still not quite sure what the overall point was – but I still found them involving and well worth reading.
The final story is different in character; it's well done, of course, but more satirical and darkly humorous in tone. It's a good piece but less suspenseful, so I don't think it fits well in this collection. Nonetheless, this is a very satisfying read overall by a fine writer. Recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
The stories feature some familiar Oates character types: controlling and domineering husbands, damaged and traumatised young women, a self-deluding student who may or may not have stumbled on something sinister and so on. Each story, some told in the first person and some in the third, portrays convincing characters whose story becomes very involving, often with a growing sense of menace. This is done with a light touch and by suggestion rather than explicit exposition and it is very skilful. I have to say that in a couple of the stories, The Drowned Girl and The Situations, it was *so* inexplicit that I'm still not quite sure what the overall point was – but I still found them involving and well worth reading.
The final story is different in character; it's well done, of course, but more satirical and darkly humorous in tone. It's a good piece but less suspenseful, so I don't think it fits well in this collection. Nonetheless, this is a very satisfying read overall by a fine writer. Recommended.
(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews