This is the first Joyce Carol Oates book I have ever read. I thought that by reading a collection of her short stories, I might be able to quickly get a broader taste of her work. Although she is definitely a talented writer as evidenced by her amazing cast of characters …more throughout this collection of stories, I found each short story leaving me empty and asking, "is that it? That is how you are going to end this story? Really?". There did not seem to be any resolution or closure. The stories did not end with me feeling grounded; it was more like Ms. Oates just left me hanging. A little disappointing. Can anyone suggest another one of her books? (less)