New York, NY: Ecco (2009)

First Edition. Advanced Reader. Signed.

Near fine in decorated wrappers with some very mild shelf wear to the corners and edges.

In this gripping and moving collection, Joyce Carol Oates re-imagines the meaning of family—often through violent means. . . . “Oates . . . has once again held a haunting mirror up to America, revealing who we are.”—Boston Globe

With the unflinching candor and sympathy for which Joyce Carol Oates is celebrated, the 14 stories of Dear Husband, examine the intimate lives of contemporary American families: the tangled ties between generations, the desperation—and the covert, radiant happiness—of loving more than one is loved in return.

A passionate bond between an adolescent son and mother has unexpected consequences. A woman is forced to realize, decades later, her childhood role in the destruction of a famous, beloved grandfather’s life. A man tries to break free of the enthralling and dangerous erotic obsession of his life.

In the gripping title story, Oates boldly reimagines the true-crime story of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her children in 2001. Several stories take a less tragic turn, exploring with mordant humor the shadowy interstices between self-awareness and delusion.

Dramatic, intensely rendered, and always provocative, Dear Husband, provides an unsettling and fascinating look into the mysterious heart of America.