A review by ladydrini
Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a challenging read. It dove into topics of rape, race, abuse, patriarchy, adultery, and murderers of children. It broke the rules of grammar and sentence structure. And these stories seemed completely separate from one another until the last fourth of the book. The Babysitter is about a (rich, privileged, white) woman who gets entangled with a mysterious man who is equally dangerous and alluring to her. This happens against the backdrop of the 1970s during race wars in Detroit and the time of a serial killer named The Babysitter who strikes closer and closer to home. The way that the author shared the thoughts of the protagonist was extremely realistic, so even if you didn't want to relate to her, you had to - making it all very unnerving. A stunning book.