A review by jess_mango
Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas of Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates

4.0

Cardiff, by the Sea is a new collection of four novellas by Joyce Carol Oates. These 4 tales all take a look at women living their lives when something dark or bizarre comes their way. The title story is about a young professional woman who receives a call from a lawyer telling her that her grandmother has died and left her property in the small town of Cardiff, ME. Our protagonist was adopted as a toddler and has no memory of her grandmother or birth parents. She slowly unwinds her birth family's troubled past.

The other 3 stories are all just as contemplative and twisty. There is sexual harassment, assault, bullying, suicide, murder. So you know, all those dark twisted corners of society that females may face. Oates' writing kept me enthralled despite the dark topics. And the ending of each story threw me for a bit of a loop so I had to page back and re-read a bit. Definitely left me thinking. Disturbing!!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!