Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
Joyce Carol Oates is a recipient of the National Medal of Humanities, the National Book Critics Circle Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, and has been several times nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys, Blonde, which was nominated for the National Book Award, and the New York Times bestseller The Falls, which won the 2005 Prix Femina. Her most recent novel is A Book of American Martyrs. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978.
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Niagara Falls truly comes alive in the story; you describe its power and
beauty in exquisite detail and during different seasons. How did your connection
with Niagara Falls contribute to writing the book?
I grew up in the countryside not far from Niagara Falls and we often visited
there. Even in western New York State, a region that is haunting to me, Niagara
Falls was always special.
For those who have never been to Niagara Falls, would you recommend it?
What would you say to encourage people to visit?
This is a difficult question. Of course, the Falls are spectacular. But more
spectacular on the Canadian side of the border. The Canadian Niagara Falls is
Disneyland-commercial; the American side is somewhat shabby and economically
depressed. Only visit in reasonably warm weather.
The reader knows things about Gilbert that Ariah does not, including a
first-hand account of what drove him to commit suicide. How does having this
information enhance the reading of the story?
Many suicides, especially in the past, have surely been as a consequence of
sexual anxiety. The reader understands Gilbert's "secret" to a degree
Gilbert doesn't understand himself, while Ariah can only feel guilt, shame, and
humiliation ...
Deni Béchard was born in British Columbia to a loving and health-conscious American mother and a French Canadian father with penchant for crime and storytelling. He grew up in the wake of their turbulent lives throughout... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Falls
Try:
Vandal Love
by Deni Y. Béchard
Ian Caldwell attended Princeton University, where he studied history. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1998. He began writing The Rule of Four with his best friend, Dustin Thomason, after graduation. His second book, The Fifth ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Jack of Spades
Try:
The Rule of Four
by Ian Caldwell
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