A bit overlong, but Carol Oates captures family life beautifully. Not Oates' best, but definitely a solid outing that I would recommend to others.

This book was the perfect family drama. It was intense, relevant, and profound. As usual, Oates writing is beautiful and just flows off the page, pulling the reader in.

This was my first dive into Joyce Carol Oats, and I did really enjoy these stories. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. Stories aren't my favorite narrative format, but there were so many great ones in here worth reading. Of course, there were a few duds, so I ended up rounding my rating according to my average rating of each story, but there were definitely some 5 star short stories in here. I am looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates is a captivating portrait of a family in modern day America. When a horrific tragedy kicks off the almost eight hundred page story, I was immediately drawn in and I never looked back. Whitey, a well known man in his 60s observes a fight on the side of the highway. He pulls over to help when he realizes there are police officers beating up a black man. His intention is to stop the violence, yet upon his approach, the young, naive officers redirect their anger from their victim to Whitey, and zap him with a taser gun. When he drops to the ground and passes out, the violent officers call for medical attention and submit a false report stating Whitey was in a car accident where he sustained injuries. After several days, tragically, Whitey dies in the hospital. This is where Joyce Carol Oates’s expertise in modern American society and her gift for character development shine.

Police brutality, racism, and the death of a patriarch set a powerful backdrop for Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. We follow each member of Whitey’s family to see how they deal with his absence, getting to know and understand their sibling relationships and personal struggles. Thom is the oldest brother and he is bossy and sarcastic. Virgil comes to terms with his sexuality in the absence of his judgmental father. Lorena recognizes her own bitterness and reckons with her lack of relationships. Beverly decides it is time to stand up for herself when it comes to her cheating husband. Sophia gives second thoughts to her career choice and her relationship with an older, married man. And Jessica, Whitey’s widow, chooses to enter into a very different relationship with an unexpected partner where she walks the line between feeling love and happiness, and the desire to be dead along with her deceased husband.

Whitey’s expectations for his wife and children have less power now that he is gone and there is desperation, relief, re-evaluation of life choices, freedom to express and live their best lives, vengeance, frustration, anger and support. Each family member has his or her own story and in the aftermath of Whitey’s death, their life paths change; they fall off track when it comes to their careers, marriages and relationships, and good or bad, their true selves emerge. We get to know them and understand their past and present actions, emotions and motives along with the family dynamics. Joyce Carol Oates and her beautiful use of language make this story of corruption and justice a compelling portrait of a family in mourning.

There is so much to examine in this novel and and I truly got lost in it. A great book I highly recommend!

Did not finish. The writing reminded me of Emma Cline’s THE GIRLS, which I disliked because of its awkward, self-indulgent sentence fragments. Further, in this day and age, I’m not particularly interested in reading about a rich, white, Republican family, especially not for this many pages. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars. While this is an engrossing tale and I loved how each family member is given their own voice and reactions and their interactions with the rest of the family, and the story itself, I found about halfway through growing fatigued. I did not feel this required an 800-page treatment.

Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early September.

Stark and from many perspectives, this begins with a more embedded story of police brutality than what often occurs here in the Minnesota metro area. Each character is given a deep back story and the reasoning as to how it influences their present-day (i.e. children growing to dote on and protect their father, the panic and sheer bravery of a witness) and the utter tailspin of emotions when a family processes a wrongful death. A son digs deep for answers against his father's attackers and tries to set facts straight against a policeman's version of the record, while his mother, a lone widow, lives within her memories, not realizing the shock and dismay of her adult children when she makes choices that are very much out of character.

Actual Rating: 3.8

This was surprisingly really enjoyable from beginning to end, and super salient considering how many innocent dark-skinned (specifically Black people) are getting shot by police today without consequences.

Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars is a story about a powerful man’s death, and the story about his family coming to terms with it. But even more so, Whitey’s death wasn’t as simple as it seems — he was beaten by police while trying to stop it from happening to a dark-skinned young man, and after his death, one of his sons is wrapped up in a lawsuit in a justice system that is clearly broken.

Never have I read a book that made me so TORN about its characters. I’m used to having my mind made up, either rooting for a character to have the best ending or wanting the worst tragedy to hit them. That definitely wasn’t the case with this book, and to be honest I really appreciate the multitude of emotions these characters made me feel. One minute I hated them, and the next I appreciated some of the things they did.

Let’s be very clear. All of them, except for Virgil, sound like your typical white, Trumpian, rich, suburban conservative, and their offhanded comments about someone’s race or status were enough to make me hate them. Yet, we kept hearing Whitey Whitey Whitey, this parent who just had so much influence over all of their worldviews, that sometimes you kind of get how and why they’re so narrow-minded. You’re not supposed to like them, but you do grow to understand them.

Two characters that stood out to me were Thom, the macho, heir to the family company. Violent and self-righteous. If I knew him in real life, I’d run in the other direction. Toxic. And yet, his pursuit of justice was interesting and relatable and it made sense, even though morally it was for all the wrong reasons. Thom feels like an “the end justifies the means type.”

And the second one was Virgil, practically Thom’s character foil, the runt and outcast of the family. Different and isolated. The quirky artist. If I knew him in real life, I’d probably find him obnoxious. But there was still something about the way he stuck to his principles and his way of life despite the rest of his family looking down on him for it.

The others, like Sophia, Beverley, Lorene, even the widow Jessalyn — were fun to read too, but I have to admit that it really felt like Thom and Virgil were the MAIN ones in the story. And this might’ve been one downside to this book: the fact that there were so many characters made it difficult sometimes to remember who had done what. Jessalyn’s story wasn’t altogether that interesting, but it was about a woman moving on after her husband had died and not feeling guilty, and that was something I appreciated.

And Whitey. Yes, he was dead. He was pretty much only alive for a few chapters, and a soul in a few more. But Joyce Carol Oates did an amazing job with selling us his power, his role in society and in the family. He felt like a main character, and I felt his presence throughout the entire book, even if he was no longer there. He was in how all the characters acted.

The writing style is definitely not your typical novel. It’s a little stream-of-consciousness at times, fragmented, using parentheses and mini exclamations. Surprisingly, I found that this writing style worked really well for me, especially because it felt like it was allowing me to get inside the head of every character and follow their trains of thought.

Ultimately, I’d definitely recommend this one. Even if it did get me a long time to get through — it is 800 pages — it was worth it, and in such a racially charged political climate, it honestly felt like the perfect read.

I love almost anything by Joyce Carol Oates, ever since reading Zombie when I was in high school.  I loved this one as well, and will recommend it to customers at the library!

Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. is not one of JCO's best books, but it's still really, really good; dark and thoughtful and full of Oates's lyrical writing. A definite must read for fans, and while this wouldn't be my introduction novel for new to her readers (Blonde and My Sister, My Love would be my pics) Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars would be an excellent follow-up choice.

I had stopped reading Joyce carol oates when she went through her gothic phase and never found myself drawn to her newer titles.  I have to say this read makes me want to go back and look at her catalog.  A thoroughly engaging story of a family and the sins that don’t seem like sins u til the sinner is gone.  So very timely in its focus on police brutality.  A telling story of family and what seems to be perfect actually I fleets damage on those inside the perfect bubble and the ultimate repercussions when the “perfect person” is no longer there to hold things together .  And also how it’s always possible for new beginnings.  A very enjoyable read.

Joyce Carol Oates’ Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars, tells the story of the McClaren family, whose patriarch “Whitey,” dies following an attack by two police officers after he attempts to defend a dark-skinned man being hassled by the officers.  Thereafter, his widow Jessalyn and five grown children try to adapt to their new lives, and to each other, without the pillar-of-the-community Whitey as the family’s figurehead. 

In revealing her characters, Oates has a tendency to write every thought, or fragment of thought, that she imagines passes through their minds. So while the plot is not expansive, the resulting story is rich in character development, following each member of the McClaren clan as they navigate their grief, often in unhealthy ways.   The book is long at 800 pages, but I believe readers become fans of Oates’ work because of her ability to build complex, fully-formed, often mercurial characters that lend to the richness to her stories. Those fans will not be disappointed with this effort.

I received an ARC of this novel from HarperCollins and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, and I thank them.

It has been a while since I have read a book by Joyce Carol Oats.  I was caught off guard by the style of her writing so stark and compassionate at the same time.

This story is an American tragedy. When a parent dies each family member deals with the loss and grief in  different ways, in ways that will divide them..  Will they ever find their way back?

Thank you very much NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this brilliant book! There are so many issues presented in this book, it would be difficult to adequately list all of them. I feel like I want to re-examine and discuss each and every chapter with someone! The drawn out characters were certainly not always likable, and some were in fact despicable, but each one was absolutely fascinating. The contemporary American family in this story (mother, father, five grown children) portrayed the many unexpected ways we all can react to loss and grief, 
Issues of class, racism, entitlement, homophobia, psychological trauma and human decency are explored deftly through the eyes of this white privileged family in overt and subtle ways. I found it to be moving and astonishingly timely during this time of attention to Black Lives Matter. 
At 804 pages, this is a quite lengthy and intensely emotional read but I was completely engaged & found it to be a page-turner. 
The ruthless examination of the thoughts and actions of these characters and the excellent storytelling are uniquely JCO.

I love Joyce Carol Oates’ writing and this book does not disappoint.     I enjoyed the slow read as the characters kept developing over time.  I could have read this book forever- such interesting characters - and when one character changes but the others don’t, the drama begins.  Great story.

John Earle “Whitey” McClaren is an influential citizen and family patriarch in Hammond, New York. Whitey stops his car along the highway when he sees police officers mistreating a dark-skinned young man. Whitey's good samaritan instincts get him a thorough beating that ultimately brings on a stroke. Whitey's family of five grown children and his beloved wife, Jessalyn, rush to his bedside, but just as it appears he will survive his injuries and the stroke, he dies from a staph infection.

The opening passages of this novel shocked me as I am sure it did most readers. Here we are in the throes of a national tragedy of yet another black man killed by police, and JCO has already prepared a book to tell us how a family reacts to the loss of a man they loved and respected. Jessalyn's journey through grief is gruesome. She begins to fade away, tremendous weight loss and hair that suddenly turns gray. Everyone worries about Jessalyn, but she wants to be left alone.

The oldest son, Thom, sees, from the beginning, that Whitey has suffered physical attacks that do not correspond to a stroke. He takes photos of his father in the hospital, resolving to find out what happened on the highway that afternoon. Thom's obsession is to find the facts and get justice for his father.

Beverly, the oldest daughter, tries to be helpful to her mother but she is more annoying and needy, and her mother and siblings wish that she would stop crying and go back to her own life that may be in a shambles. Lorene, a young principal at a local high school, has difficulty coping but does not seek help. Sofia, a lab assistant, is lonely and trying to decide what to do with her life. Virgil, the youngest son, continues to fade in and out of the family's lives. According to Jessalyn, he is a gentle soul, and he is the only one she wants to see and have at home with her.

JOA's 800-page novel thoroughly explores grief and growing up to be decent adults. I found myself worrying about Jessalyn throughout the entire story. Her profound grief process is written with clarity and insight, as we would expect from Oates. She has written before about the loss of her husband. I felt that profound understanding of grief in this character's experience.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this new novel.

"Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars." is a great novel. Always been a fan of Oates's work. I'll definitely recommend this one.

There is so much to say about this book. As a former English major, I just want to dissect and analyze the whole thing, but I'll try to keep this short. I can summarize right now, though, to say that I think this is an important contemporary book, especially for right now, even as it was so emotionally difficult to get through. 

On the surface, it's a book about what happens to a family when its patriarch (Whitey) dies suddenly after a stroke. How his five children cope (not very well for the most part,) how his widow (Jessalyn) copes, (almost like she herself has died and wishing that she had.) And in that sense, it's a sad book because Whitey was such a huge presence in each of their lives, and how is it that one person like that can just disappear and cease to exist outside of their loved ones' minds and memories.

On another level it is about extreme racism. Whitey being murdered by two white police officers when he tries to save an Indian man who they had mistaken for a Black man. But even with this information, Jessalyn is especially quiet about this, knowing that one white man's death -- when so many Black men have been victimized in the same way -- was not something to put out there.

It was also about the quieter racism (and classism and sexism) in our society, from a close friend of the family telling horribly offense jokes (which Jessalyn stands up to him for, even as her own children don't understand her disgust,) the comments about Jesslayn and Hugo (since one of his parents was from Puerto Rico,) and everyone with brown skin being lumped into "the other." 

I found that Oates did a good job making her point. The jokes and the comments made me, the reader, uncomfortable, but I think this was her point. We should be uncomfortable when we hear those comments. We should speak up and not let other people get away with not only making those comments but even thinking that those beliefs are acceptable in the first place.

Finally, I liked how Oates incorporated Walt Whitman's poem "A Clear Midnight" in the story. The idea of a soul walking alone at midnight in a wordless state, thinking of these four things that make up the title. So often, it was difficult to tell when a character -- especially Jessalyn -- was actually speaking or just thinking of saying something in her head. She often seemed wordless externally even when she was bursting with words not coming out. And, while night, sleep, and death all have certain connotations, the stars leave a hopeful note at the end -- stars are eternal and lasting and will be there even after we are gone. Life continues on, which is how I think we leave Jessalyn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this arc. It has not influenced my opinion.

If there is ever a time for this book, its now. This thousand-page book has race relations at its heart. There’s so much to relate to the George Floyd death. It is the story of a New York state family, but its also the story of America. It lays bare police racism. I was not comfortable reading it, but I’m glad I did.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my review.  Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates is a very timely book.  It begins when John "Whitey" McLaren, an elderly white man who previously served as mayor of Hammond, New York, sees the police beating a dark skinned man on the side of the highway.  McLaren pulls his car over and tries to intervene but instead he is tasered and beaten and has a stroke and dies a few days later in the hospital.  As it turns out, the dark skinned man is an Indian, Dr. Azim Murthy, who has done absolutely nothing wrong.  The Book follows Whitey's widow and five children and the different ways they deal with his death and the aftermath.  It is also the story of racism, police brutality and cover-ups, with a touch of sexism added to the mix.  This is not a light read, but it is a compelling family drama and by the end you will feel like you are a part of the family.  I am a fan of Joyce Carol Oates.  I have read everything she has written and this book is, by far, my favorite.  I highly recommend it.