JCO: A Princeton Idyll

Has anyone else read Oates' new story "A Princeton Idyll" in the most recent issue of the Yale Review? By the way, there is also a review of my novel ENOUGH by Patrick Ryan in this issue. :)

This is another story where JCO uses the form of letters to write the story. It's interesting how the back story unfolds over the course of a series of letters between a young female children's author and an old woman concerning the younger woman's famous grandfather. I like how JCO shows the limitations of this kind of communication betwen two near strangers, the misunderstandings of tone and the disruption from an overlap between when the letter is sent and when it is received. Everything about these characters is distilled down to their voice so you have to read between the lines to understand what their real motivations and circumstances are. It's also interesting how she contemplates time - the meaning and consequences of it - within the story.

Eric

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