A review by anniecase45
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

4.0

It is impossible to describe this book if you haven't read it, as the power is not so much in what happens as the atmosphere Oates creates: there is a gauzy aura over the story. While anyone who is familiar with Marilyn Monroe will recognize the characters and situations, the focus is on her inner world, which seems to unfold in slow-motion, even as the world around her is edgy and fast-paced. There is a recurring theme of family - the wanting of it, the lack of it, the loss of it. Without the stability she is craving, Norma fails to overcome the emptiness inside her. And the result is a shell of a person, who is able to be molded into different women, while never understanding herself. It is an incredibly compelling read.