I can see why this book doesn't have a super high rating on Goodreads - the writing style is pretty hard to adapt to and the subject matter is pretty difficult. However, I'm a huge fan of Joyce Carol Oates, and I think anyone who appreciates her writing will find something to like in this novella.

When newlywed Abby walks in front of a bus the morning after she gets married, everyone has the question of whether it was merely an accident or an intentional act. The reader learns that Abby has been haunted by nightmares in which she sees herself coming across human bones in a field. Where does this imagery come from and does it contribute to Abby's accident? The book switches between Abby's POV and her new husband's, as well as flashbacks to Abby's parents. I loved getting these various perspectives because they ended up shedding light on the events that happened in the present.

It is tough to get used to the storytelling at first. Most of the sentences are fragments and each line feels pretty jarring. But once you get used to that, it's quite possible to get invested in this super dark and twisty tale. I would have loved for this to be longer because I think it would have been even more powerful with some additional context.

Love a good thriller/mystery, and Joyce Carol Oates never disappoints. The story was good, the twists were incredible and hard to see coming.

This suspenseful, brief novel from master novelist (and national treasure) Joyce Carol Oates is a concentrated dive into the obsessions and secrets that consume us. Through the relationship of Abby and Willem, we witness an alluring and disturbing tango, an onion-layered exposition of a horror that, in a suspenseful drip drip drip, is revealed. A knockout performance from one of our best writers.

Abby is a young woman who steps in front of a bus one day after getting married to Willem. He has a lot of questions about what happened and the things that she is saying while she is in the hospital. We piece together Abby's life from flashbacks to her young life and then to her in the hospital. I didn't find the characters of the book to be very likable and I found the story to be somewhat predictable.

I never know what to expect from a Joyce Carol Oates novel, and this one is no exception. Written in an almost stream of consciousness style, rambling and moving back and forth in time, is she telling two distinct stories that would somehow come together at the end? Is this all a hallucination or the figment of imagination caused by the horrific accident at the beginning of the story? Are these repressed memories of a damaged young woman? I could not put this book down until I found out!

One of her best, I think, since I was on the edge of my seat throughout with twists and turns in almost every chapter. Some will hate this book -- it does ramble in the telling and is definitely confusing many times, but it all becomes crystal clear at the end and it's worth it. Loved it!

I have been a huge fan of Joyce Carol Oates for years. She is an absolute master story weaver and readers are captivated from page one.

Dark tense chilling.A book that kept me reading late into the night.Haunting so well written a book that stays with you.#netgalley#groveatlantic

Well written psychological thriller.

Well developed storyline, captivating, intense and creepy... all good things for me!

It keeps you turning the pages until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Abby has had a terrible recurring nightmare since she was a child. The nightmare has her walking in a field with skulls and bones of dead people. EEK! Now as an adult Abby thinks she may have finally overcome this haunting dream. Then on the night before her wedding the dream returns....just as graphic and real as it was when she was a child. Abby shakes off the dream and moves forward with her wedding. Then 24 hours later she is crossing the street and is hit by a car. Was this a random accident? Distracted driver? or something more sinister? Does the accident have something to do with the terrifying dream? Abby's new husband, Willem begins his own investigation. What will her uncover? Is someone in "Pursuit" of Abby? Read Pursuit by Joyce Carol Oates and find out!

This chilling and disturbing mystery shows Joyce Carol Oates at her best, with excellent pacing and a spot-on ability to keep the tension high throughout. A young woman, Abby, marries one day and the next is knocked over by a bus. From what we know of her already, she is a troubled soul – so was the “accident” deliberate? Initially in a coma and hanging between life and death, her new husband devotes himself to her recovery and gradually she opens up to him. He’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery – and a gruesome one it is too. Not for the faint-hearted, but nevertheless a very enjoyable and entertaining (as far as any depiction of terrible subjects can be) story of domestic violence, child abuse, toxic masculinity and PTSD. Sounds grim, and it is, but a well-written, unpredictable and suspenseful novel from a master storyteller.

From the synopsis of Pursuit, I was anticipating a psychological thriller. I was disappointed that it seems more psychological than thriller. Joyce Carol Oates always writes well, this subject just wasn't for me. Pursuit is a quick, if unsettling read, with layered characters and a dark storyline.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Some books are just better on paper. With a stream of consciousness writing and creepy, eerie vibe, I can imagine enjoying this as a solid book with some tea, reading at a slow pace. But reading this style on e-book with wonky formatting was a chore that I didn't enjoy.

Love takes so many shapes. Love can be all the things we’ve come to expect or love can be sharp, mind altering and scary. Through the eyes of four confused people in love we learn what love can do to a life. Oates also gives an insight into the veterans mindset that should be explored more. At the same time we get wrapped up in a mentally diseased mind that is not easy to forget. A women struggles with a manipulative love she can’t escape and her daughter tries to know love. So many layers to delve into with this story!

Not my favorite of her's by far, but a quick intense read that will stay with you long after your read it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

A really twisted tale from an author who is known for giving readers a different experience with every book. Each of the Joyce Carol Oates books I have read have been very unique. This one is no different, yet so very not the same as any other. The characters are well developed, three dimensional, their emotions so well written you feel as if you are there with them. Yet the community is not quite what the characters lead you to, the back story so well disguised, it's a surprise that you'll turn back pages to try and see what you missed. This is not a light read, you need to plan an afternoon for yourself and be prepared to lose all track of time.

Published by Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press on October 1, 2019

Joyce Carol Oates writes horror stories with a literary sensibility, at least when she’s not writing literary stories that are informed by horror. Her horror stories do not depend on zombies or slasher-killers. Her characters suffer from the horrors of abuse and neglect and the awful things that people do to each other, particularly spouses and parents. A horrifying childhood and its impact on a young woman are at the heart of Pursuit.

Abby Hayman (her real name is Miriam, but she prefers Gabriela, the name she invented for herself) has been married to Willem Zengler for less than a day. She was a virgin when they married because Willem is very religious. Willem “identifies strongly as a Christian but not the kind of somber-faced Christians who take themselves too seriously.” Yet taking himself too seriously is the exact definition of Willem, even if his face might not always be somber.

Early in the novel, Abby steps in front of a bus and is in a coma for a few weeks before she is treated, rehabilitated, and sent home with Willem. Why did newlywed Abby step in front of the bus? The answer is not immediately clear.

Abby’s father, Lew, was an angry veteran, blaming the world for his misfortune. Like many angry vets, it is not obvious whether he was scarred by war or whether he went to war because it suited his scarred personality. In any event, Abby’s mother, Nicola, eventually kicked Lew out of the house. A section of the novel tells us that story from Lew’s self-interested perspective. Another section tells the same story from Nicola’s very different perspective. Oates paints Nicola as a vulnerable woman, easily manipulated by a manipulative man, who gains strength from her experience. Lew is considerably less sympathetic. By the end of Nicola’s story, after Lew has left and returned, her life has become tragic and grotesque.

Abby’s perspective, on the other hand, is that of a child who does not understand her parents and who blames herself for everything that happens, including her apparent abandonment by them both. One big event occurs when Abby is only six, an event for which both of her parents are to blame, neither having given much of a thought about how their conduct will affect their child. A later event, while Abby is spending a summer with her aunt, leads to a life-shaping discovery that Abby does not fully understand and that she tries to block from her mind.

Back in the present, Abby is haunted by nightmares and memories of skeletons, making Pursuit a good Halloween read. Once out of the hospital, Abby decides to visit her aunt, an aunt she feels guilty for abandoning, who does not know of her marriage to Willem. The trip with Willem is necessary to complete Abby’s journey, to exorcise at least some of her demons, to help her overcome fears — not just fears of horrifying events, but the ordinary fear of being alone, even in marriage.

Pursuit ends on a more hopeful note than some of Oates’ work. Nicola’s story is more powerful than Abby’s, but the two stories work together to explain Abby’s timidity, a characteristic that makes her an unremarkable ghost of a character, devoid of personality. Willem turns out to be a surprising character, in that he is capable of growth and is not shaped entirely by his crabbed religious upbringing.

Oates’ signature style is less dependent on quotation marks and parentheticals than some of her other work, which is fine with me — I think she’s been there and done that. Otherwise, she displays her characteristic economy of language, shading scenes with just the right amount of detail while leaving room for readers to fill in the color. Pursuit isn’t Oates’ best work, but it is recognizable as the kind of horror story that only Oates can tell.

RECOMMENDED

This is a very bleak and depressing story. I did not care for the writing style or for any of the characters. A horrendous murder/suicide and not fully explained events, just insinuations. Abrupt ending. At least it was short.

The nightmare has plagued Abby since childhood. Skeletons in a field. The skulls in the grass. She thought the dream was finally gone for good, but on the eve of her wedding, it returns. In a panic, strange thoughts flooding her head, Abby runs off a city bus and is struck by a car. While recuperating, she opens up to her new husband, Willem. There are so many secrets....

This story is suspenseful and builds slowly, revealing Abby's life little bit by little bit. It isn't an exciting, edge of your seat sort of burn....but a very atmospheric, strange but compelling story. Abby reveals her life slowly. It shows the depth of feeling and trust she has for Willem. The story switches back and forth from Abby to Willem's POV several times. Usually I don't really care for bouncing POV, but in this case, it really works.

This is the first full-length novel by Joyce Carol Oates that I've read. Yeah, I know....I'm late to the party. I have no excuse....just ponderous TBR and only so much time. After reading two short stories by Oates -- Miao Dao and The Sign of the Beast -- I knew I needed to delve into her gigantic list of published novels. I enjoyed this book. I will definitely be reading more of her work!

I think what I liked best about this story was the slow build. Oates doesn't hurry. She doesn't use quick action to build her story, rather she lets it tumble out just like Abby's rambling revelations about her parents and childhood. Her writing style and word choices help build the feeling of panic, helplessness, and secrets. Pursuit is well written. Very enjoyable read -- dark and more than a bit creepy.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Grove Atlantic. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

It should have been the happiest time of her life. Abby Hayman has just married Willem Zengler.
But Abby's nightmares full of skeletons and bones have come back to haunt her.
The day after she weds, she gets off a bus and steps right in front of it. Was it a terrible, absent minded accident or was it done on purpose?
After spending nine days in a coma, Abby wakes up, severely injured and unable to recall what happened.
Willem is determined to discover what occurred, and find out what childhood traumas his young wife has suffered.
This short, suspenseful psychological thriller has a dark, disturbing, dreamlike quality.
Dread and anxiety build as we learn about the doomed relationship between Abby's parents, and how it has left her so shattered.
My first read from Joyce Carol Oates, looking forward to reading more by this powerful writer.
Thank you to Mysterious Press for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

Joyce Carol Oates is a master writer and for good reason. Pursuit is Abby's story - from her nightmares to her family history, this short book explores tough topics. PTSD, sexual assault, domestic violence....it's all there.

This isn't a book where a reader will fall in love with a character or a story. This isn't a light-hearted family romp. This is dark, gritty and painful to read. JCO is at the top of her game, and still putting out masterful work.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.