We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

I was surprised by my indifference and bouts of boredom with this book. I've always read from Oprah's book list without reservation but this was my first disappointment with one of her selections.

The overall tone of the book is depressing. I finished the story knowing the lives of each character in great detail but not finding any of them relatable.

It was a very slow read. A book driven by details with only sprinkles of story. My interest peaked exactly three separate times for only the length of a few pages.

It took over two weeks to finish because I found it so easy to set aside. I contemplated the idea of not finishing the story but after having already invested the first 400 pages, thought it best to finish out the last fifty, hoping the book could redeem itself.

It didn't.

This was by no means the worst story I've encountered but I'm glad it's over nonetheless.