The Pursuit by Joyce Carol Oates

☆☆☆☆
ebook, 200 pages
Published October 1st 2019 by Grove Atlantic and Mysterious Press
About the Book:
As a child, Abby had the same recurring nightmare night after night, in which she wandered through a field ridden with human skulls and bones. Now an adult, Abby thinks she's outgrown her demons, until, the evening before her wedding, the terrible dream returns and forces her to confront the dark secrets from her past she has kept from her new husband, Willem. The following day--less than 24 hours after exchanging vows--Abby steps out into traffic. As his wife lies in her hospital bed, sleeping in fits and starts, Willem tries to determine whether this was an absentminded accident or a premeditated plunge, and he quickly discovers a mysterious set of clues about what his wife might be hiding. Why, for example is there a rash-like red mark circling her wrist? What does she dream about that causes her to wake from the sound of her own screams? Slowly, Abby begins to open up to her husband, revealing to him what she has never shared with anyone before--the story of a terrified mother; a jealous, drug addled father; and a daughter's terrifying captivity.

This is another amazing book by Joyce Carol Oates. I have loved her writing since We Were the Mulvaneys was published in 1996. The Pursuit is pure Oates and I was enthralled from the moment I started until I finished. Just as the book picks up speed and the horror of Abby's dreams come to light, I could feel the same intensity and claustrophobia building in myself as I raced to the end of the book.

Oates has an amazing ability to draw you into her world and not let you go until she wants to. Some of her longer works seem to have a lot of extraneous moving parts to the story that don’t add much. This is definitely not the case with The Pursuit. This is a tight, concise story but really packs a punch...which is an amazing feat considering its length (less than 200 pages).

If you love Ms. Oates writing you should definitely pick this one up. If you love a good, suspenseful book with an incredible plot and compelling characters, you should also pick this one up. In fact, if you like fiction of any kind, I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Joyce Carol Oates, Grove Atlantic and Mysterious Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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