This is an extremely unique book, that is like nothing else I've read and not at all like I'd expected. I almost can't say I enjoyed it, as it mostly made me feel uncomfortable throughout. That is of course largely what the author intended, though, and as the book focuses on women and the vulnerable position they hold in society, make it feel like an important book. Just not that fun to read (for me!). Themes of desire, sexuality and where they intersect with violence and death, intertwine uncomfortably and inextricably.

I found Hannah annoying - pretty much throughout this book! It was hard to get started and the ending was irritatingly ambiguous, though I was hooked in the middle but it failed to deliver.

Inspired by a true story of a child murderer in Detroit, which forms one of the story lines in this book, there are many disturbing details which I found hard to bear. Hannah is white and from a privileged background. She has no identity of her own; she is identified as wife, mother and by those around her. Hannah does all the right things and volunteers on the right committees - until she doesn't! One selfish act (which I almost applauded her for having some sort of gumption!) becomes an ever-deteriorating situation which just gets weirder and weirder!

Lots of overt racism in this book and violence against women and children - not for the faint-hearted!

This heart-stopping thriller will keep you teetering on the edge between anticipation and shock, from its opening scene to its stunning finale. Brilliant!

In the closing days of the tumultuous 1970s, against the backdrop of unsettling unsolved murders that have rattled Detroit, the fates of several locals intertwine, yielding tragic outcomes. Among them is Hannah, the wife of a prominent local businessman, entangled in an affair with a mysteriously charismatic stranger; Mikey, a street-smart hustler, embarks on an unexpected quest for justice; and the elusive serial killer Babysitter, whose terror hovers over elite Detroit. As Babysitter's murderous spree persists, these lives intersect in unforeseen and astonishing ways.

The narrative delves into intricate depths, layered with 'who knew what when?' as threads converge and details crystallize. This captivating book brims with enigma and suspense, a masterful psychological drama of the highest calibre, written by a select few who excel in this genre.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was my first book by this author but was quite difficult to get through with the disjointed style and subject matter.

Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates is a novel that explores issues such as the role of women in society, abuse and trauma, racism.

I can't believe that I have never read any of Joyce Carol Oates' work until now. I don't know quite how to describe the book - not a pleasant read- but utterly and deeply compelling, menacing and horrifying. But so exquisitely written. Thank you to the author, to the publishers and to NetGalley for allowing me to access this incredible novel.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, 4th Estate and the author Joyce Carol Oates.
An incredibly vivid, visceral and unsettling novel. After a bit of a slow start it had me hooked.
The unhappiness, naivety and subsequent desperation of Hannah was tangible and painful, really incredible writing. 4 stars.

This wasn't really for me. I had a friend who was a big fan of this author and I never really got into her and reading this reminded me of why: the writing feels pretentious, confusing at times and some of the violence felt at times unnecessary. It was a compelling story towards the second half of the book once the heroines lover's true face is revealed, but I found the ending confusing and I'm not sure I understand what happened exactly, or even who the characters who keep appearing were.

Amazing book on so many levels. It’s a book about abuse - child abuse, abuse of power and coercion. It delves deeply into sexual abuse and yet manages to be utterly gripping while being appalling. The narrative jumps around so that at times, you think Hannah has been killed and then you realise that she us alive. I loved this book because it was so unpredictable and riveting and also managed to portray what it’s like to be in the grips of a coercive relationship where you know it’s wrong but keep looking for more and more valid action in darker and sicker ways.

Against a backdrop of gritty 1970s Detroit, we move between the wealthy enclave where white wife and mother Hannah lives and the mean streets of downtown. Hannah is married to a wealthy businessman and has two small children, whom she loves. But somehow (and admittedly her motivation isn’t all that clear) she gets herself embroiled with an unsavoury lover and it’s all downhill from then on. The novel loops backwards and forwards in time to show what has brought her to her current dangerous predicament. The babysitter of the title refers to a serial killer at large in the city, whose crimes seem reassuringly distant from Hannah’s privileged lifestyle – until they aren’t. I understand there was a real life “babysitter” and it’s still an unsolved crime although the police think they know who the culprit was: an added layer of dysfunction to the novel, which is indeed all about dysfunction. The book is structured as a thriller with the suspense ratcheting up as we go along. We move in and out of different consciousnesses and see events from different perspectives, making this into an immersive and compelling narrative, one that explores parenthood, power and privilege and the dynamics of male-female relationships, with a nice dose of black humour to leaven the gloom. Entertaining and enjoyable, not always credible, but told with such panache that it carries the reader (well, this reader anyway) along with it.

This is an incredible read that was dark, disturbing, chilling and also incredibly fascinating. I really enjoyed it and I was so intrigued and interested that I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened, which also mde me feel uncomfortable because this is an uncomfortable read which in theory whould be repulsive - which of course it is - but it is also fascinating which makes you feel uncomfortable and this continues for the whole book. The reader has uch a visceral reaction to this book and that is one fo the things that makes this so good.
The book also feels relly stilted at times and left me wondering what was going on and what was happening, however, this wasn't in a bad way it was a narrative technique that really worked for this particular book.
The writing st6yle was incredible and I got into it straight away, with well developed characters and an absolutely compelling storyline that left me frustrated and chilled to the bone at times
I loved it and would highly recommend it to everyone.

Set in Detroit in 1977, this dark and unnerving novel follows parallel stories of a serial killer, preying on young vulnerable children, and the marriage of Hannah Jarrett. Hannah is beginning an affair with an intimidating and aggressive man known to her only as YK. As her life spirals out of control and the serial killing continues, the reader gets caught up in the emotions and the darkness. Touching on very relevant themes of sexual assault, murder, control; and racism this is a frankly astonishing book.

Joyce Carol Oates has been a towering presence in American literature for the last 60 years and one of my favorite wordsmiths since the early 80s.

Her latest accomplishment is a dark and compelling fictional tapestry set in Michigan during the 70s.
An unflinching look at child abuse and its devastating consequences on society.
An enthralling journey that left me totally exhausted by the end.

While this novel might not be the easiest introduction to her large and magnificent body of work, Babysitter will definitely appeal to anyone familiar with Ms Oates masterful style and her unsurpassed mastery when it comes to dissect the American psyche.

A great American novel that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever

Many thanks to Fourth Estate and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

This is a great read, digested it in one sitting! Such an easy book to follow, and did not want to put it down!

‘Somehow, time has accelerated. It is a riddle, how. So long you'd taken for granted that time is an infinite supply to be used as you wish, dipped into, measured by the calendar, the clock, and the watch, now you realize that time is the river rushing you along heedless of your wishes.’

It is 1970s Detroit and Hannah, the wife of a wealthy businessman, is bored. After briefly meeting a man at a charity dinner she makes the decision to meet him in a hotel room, and to embark on a destructive and ill-judged affair with a man she barely knows, and whose treatment of her is horrific.

Meanwhile, across Detroit, children from neglected and deprived families are being kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. Named The Babysitter in the press, Hannah pays scant attention until a child from her wealthy neighbourhood is kidnapped, and she begins to wonder and question and connect dots. As Hannah makes one poor decision after another and barrels down a road of no return, she gets ever closer to the truth, but also to her own self-destruction.

That sound dramatic enough for you?! Babysitter was my first JCO read in ages and honestly, I was GRIPPED. The thing about JCO is that she gives ample space and time to explore her characters, to really get inside their heads and understand their motivations and desires. Sometimes that can slow a novel down and put readers off, but with Babysitter it really worked for me. And it does with JCO in general. I don’t mind taking it slow, the meandering, and characters making decisions that I am aghast at. On the face of it Hannah has the perfect life. But she is bored, her life feels stale, perfunctory. And while I wanted to shake the living daylights out of her at times I also couldn’t look away as she made one awful decision after another.

Babysitter also touches on issues of racism, the insulated world of the wealthy, violence, infidelity, the role of the housewife, the mother. It is brutal and violent in parts and won’t be for everyone, but it completely gripped me.

This is an incredible read. It has you on the edge of your seat at all times. It touches on evil, abuse, violence religion and race. You feel the horror and ask why would Hannah a wife, mother and member of an affluent social group elect to have an abusive affair. A gripping read

Unfortunately this book was not for me as I struggled with the style of writing and I couldn't grasp what was going on. I persevered for a few chapters but had to admit defeat. You can't win them all and on this occasion, as I like a nice easy read, I lost!

This book is a wild ride- one which made me scared, uneasy and disgusted in deep, visceral ways, but was incredible.

The title belies the cruelty at the heart of the book- a slew of children go missing, with the perpetrator being nicknamed, with horrible irony, the 'Babysitter'. In the midst of this, we get several plotlines of people who are caught up and complicit in what is happening, and others just trying to survive and make sense of something that seems vastly unknowable.

The opening scene feels like it almost resists the urge of a standard book covering these themes, with almost all the action taking place inside a character's head as she heads towards a hotel room, but in many ways it sets up the ghastly horror within so many of the characters.

The writing is unflinching, raw, and incredibly deft, often navigating especially tricky descriptions with exquisite mastery. Oates will often describe a character in one or two withering sentences, and then quickly move on to the action (a particular favourite was this description: "Upright rodent. Halfway metamorphosed into a man.")

This is a deeply uncomfortable read in many ways, and pretty much every content warning applies for this book, but this book held me in its deathly grip, and made me almost miss several train stations.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with this book, I found it confusing as it jumped from one character to another and between the three interlinked storylines. I persevered to the end in the hope that it would make sense of what I had read but was left just as confused.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Babysitter.