SRP Book Review #2

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates

481 pages

This book tells the story of a woman named Ariah, her two husbands, and her children. Through them, it also tells the story of Niagara Falls--the town, and the natural wonder. Oates paints a portrait of The Falls as a mecca for honeymooners and suicides, enclave of upstate New York's wealthy, industrial center, and environmental disaster area over approximately 30 years, starting in 1950.

Since the plot is not predictable, I don't want to give away too much of what happens to Ariah and her family. I enjoyed the first two thirds of the novel, but thought it fell apart a little at the end, as the focus turned to Ariah's children. The chronology is sloppy, and while I realize that she is probably telling the story in a nonlinear way for narrative effect, it didn't do it for me. Also, there is at least one mistake--Chandler, the oldest son, is said at one point to be in eighth grade at a pivotal event, later, he is said to be 11 during something that definitely happens quite some time after this event. Yeah, he's smart, but there's not mention of him being a freaky grade-skipping genius.

I am pretty sure I had heard of Love Canal before, probably in a high school social studies class, but this was a nice review, and I enjoyed reading about it from a fictional perspective, which I always think provides better insight as to how things like this effect real people. (Which is kind of twisted, I know.)

I enjoyed the book, but expected more, especially since it got great reviews. If you are looking to read a historical novel about Niagara Falls, I'd recommend City of Light by Lauren Belfer instead.