A review by nicinny
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

3.0

Not for me. I stuck with this book to the end, well past my 150 page rule (if I can’t get into it by then I usually bail) and I still didn’t love it. In two words- SLOW BUILD. Like painfully slow. The author has a gift for writing its true-and it shows. But there is character development, painting a scene, and then there is killing a dead horse. An entire chapter dedicated to the family’s nicknames and pet names? Eventually you discover the plot, and it continues to evolve slowly. What time are I really disliked about the book is every time I felt it got interesting, the author would digress and spend a chapter or two talking about something else before returning to the plot. What’s admirable about the book is the author tackles the family’s dysfunction and the controversy beautifully, parts of it were hard to read while empathizing with the characters. Overall I struggle to say I’m glad I stuck with it. I see why readers admire JCO’s talent but I also think this book would have benefited from some heavy editing.