We Were The Mulvaneys

Title: We Were The Mulvaney's
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Read: August 2007
Notes: Oprah's Book Club book

It used to be that I saw one of Oprah's Book Club stamps on the front of a book and I got all giddie. She chose ringers . . . then I sensed a pattern. Oppression, family turmoil, sexual abuse, poverty . . . all Oprah's book-choices tend to focus on the less fortunate side of life and those who move up, or at least through, oppression.

We Were The Mulvaney's is no different, although, it is probably my least favorite so far of Oprah's choices - at least of those that I have read. The story is of a family named - you guessed it - Mulvaney who live in a rural town in New York. The family is all boys save one, Marianne, who becomes the victim of rape while still in High School.

The book provides an interesting outlook on a family suffering through tragedy, but I found it to be just one heart-wrenching misfortune after another with not much substance.

The entire book I felt terrible for all the characters and, I tell you what, it was EXHAUSTING! The story follows Marianne after High School through her various jobs and explores her interesting way of coping with her abuse through steadfast faith; however, to me the focus of the novel was on one of the brothers, Patrick who, in hindsight, is a peripheral charicter, save one scene - and THEN - just after we get in to Patrick's story - he disappears!

There were some tearful moments and it is an interesting take on how rape can affect a family, but until the final chapter I couldn't tell much where the story was going and what tied all the chapters together.

I'm really interested to hear other people's insight - so please let me know how you found the book and what your take was on the way Oates presented the characters and organized her chapters.