Brandon’s Reviews > Carthage: A Novel > Status Update

Cressida is heading north to deal with her perceived demons. I gotta say, her reason for abruptly leaving home sounds lame and self-centered. Oates, on the other hand, does manage to elicit some pity for Cressida and her 'situation'. At least I felt for her. It took a long time to get into what now feels as the main crux of the novel. Only a skilled writer could try to hold your attention with so little action.

Backstory time but not so much as to be boring or give away the surprise. The intern's journey of being the investigator's assistant is told through her memory in the middle of the opening scene, a scene that is still going on after three hours. Similarities and parallels to the past we know are seen as well as what could be some minor connections between the investigator and Cressida's past.

Now starts the second part of the novel. As what happened with the beginning of the novel, Oates takes her time establishing the scene. At about 7:37:00 into the novel, just after the opening of the second part, there is a story-altering revelation. A character applies for a job and has a hard time constructing a past where they don't what any past known. This area, while important, is a bit awkward to read.

All Brett can do is mumble about Cressida's death is that he did it. The last chapter focuses on him and his problems. And, oh boy, does he have problems. He has what I guess is PTSD, survivor's guilt, and a desire to run away from everyone like John Rambo. Brett penned a letter to Juliet to be opened on his death in Iraq. It is quite heartfelt and further muddies the waters as to who is right and wrong.

Oates has elaborated on the lives and souls of the supporting actors. Now we see Brett Kincaid and his war trauma. In this chapter, you find out Cressida's killer. Hope turns to fatal certainty. The war hero everyone pities shows his true side. War makes a person do unspeakable things, but war is blamed. As the different sides become clear, everyone's motivation becomes suspect and self-serving.

At least three months have passes since Cressida has been gone. Zeno, the father, is angry at what he perceives as slow justice. Mother and daughter are adrift emotionally. Lines are starting to be drawn by the father. He claims the boyfriend is guilty without a shred of evidence. People are now becoming representative of types: father, the practical; Juliet, the beautiful; and Cressida, the intelligent.

Carthage is starting off slowly, one would say. Oates, on the other hand, is meticulously creating the background in which the hunt for Cressida's killer will play out. It's a normal obstacle-filled live told in flashbacks. The use of various narrators lends verisimilitude to the story. So far I like the manner in which the veteran's recovery is related though a one-sided dialogue with the saccharin bride-to-be.