Reviews

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates

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hello0_orsi's review against another edition

5.0

One of the first stories that felt like lived experience. Haven’t explored her novels, but this stayed with me for a decade, probably will stick around longer.

lauren708's review against another edition

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3.0

I really enjoyed this story, but I didn't realize that it's as short as it is and that the rest of the book was comprised of biographical information and critical essays. I read the biographical summary and a few of the pieces of literary criticism, but I wish I would've known that that was the bulk of the book.

tmichaudy's review against another edition

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5.0

"Where are you Going, Where have you Been," is by far my FAVORITE short story. (Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" is my second favorite.)

charlie_x's review against another edition

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4.0

Incredibly creepy imagery.

zoebird81's review

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4.0

Heard about this from Conner Habib. Deeply powerful, horrific view of crossing thresholds—from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence from adulthood, from the physical to the spiritual, from reality into limbo. Wherever you go, there you are. The journey is up to you—the destination is inevitable. Genuinely heart-pounding, incredibly unsettling.