A review by jrhart
Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart by Joyce Carol Oates

2.0

It's been awhile since I've read JCO and I had forgotten how "wordy" her novels are. They have moments where you think "wow!", that analogy, or sentence was profound! But then there are others where you are screaming "JUST GET ON WITH IT!" In your head. All the characters here are cold and not necessarily audience friendly. I was drawn in by the title and the summary, and expected more interaction between Iris and Jinx. The author tried to sell a love story here and it just didn't work for me. If there had been more dialogue between these two, their connection would've seemed more realistic. I also got sick of Iris and her naive, self destructive ways. I wanted more about Jinx and less about her. This book just kind of rambled on and on until it randomly came to an end. I wasn't impressed with Meet the Mulvaney's from this author either, maybe her story telling just isn't for me.