10/1/24 (re-release, originally published in 1999) 446 pages
Akashic Books
Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates is a recommended celebration of high school notoriety and obsession. Originally published in 1999, it is being re-released on 10/1/24.
The novel unfolds over three parts to tell the story of John Reddy Heart, mainly through the eyes of others. The first part covers his arrival in Willowsville, NY, from Las Vegas, at age 11 in the 1960's, and the murder he commits when he shot his mother's lover. Each chapter is told through the point-of-view of a different classmate but what they all discuss is a circular repetition of the same lore of John Reddy. The second part follows the adult John Heart and is actually more interesting. The third part returns to the former classmates now at their 30th high school reunion where they all return to acting like adolescents.
The first and the third parts of the novel are a struggle to read and
develop any kind of engagement with the chorus of anonymous voices. The
second part is the only compelling part of the narrative with any kind
of a plot. It has been said that the point of the novel was to capture
how our imaginations create our own reality, which I can see, but I also
believe it failed to do that.
Apparently this was one of JCO's favorite novels. I found most of the
narrative incredibly boring, tedious, and never understood the endless
nostalgia for high school exhibited by her characters. Did none of these
characters actually grow up? According to one of her characters, "After high school
in America, everything's posthumous." This is simply not true for most people.
This is a novel where it is best to understand what you are about to read before you start it. Thanks to Akashic Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via LibraryThing. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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