A review by cseibs
The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

1.0

Nope, just didn't like it. Found the book to be rambling, but without the satisfaction if a good expansive novel. I found no added value to having the characters be historical figures. Nor did I get the point of our imaginative historian-narrator. A lot of loose ends were left (Dabney? Wilhemenia?) and far too many coincidences. Yes, I get the point that evil lurks in the hearts of good men, Winslow Slade in particular, but what of all the completely innocent people unrelated to Slade who suddenly are cursed? Why the van Dycks? Why the FitzRandolphs? I know a good spook story should have some outlandish elements, but the utter lack of consistency was baffling.