Customer Reviews

Sexy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is exquisite and marks another transitional point in Ms. Oates writing style. The book centers around the development of a sexual identity in her protagonist, Darren. Darren is 16 going on 17 in the story, which takes place over about a 1 year time frame. Oates is particularly specific and incisive with her psychological development of the character's sexual identity.

In addition, there are several powerful subplots or themes concurrently unfolding in the story. But perhaps the most significant of these is the result of a person being falsely accused of a sexual crime. Despite the fact that this person has passed a lie detector and there is no tangible evidence against him, neither physical nor testimonial; not even enough to show cause to arrest him. Yet this does not stop the entire town from believing precisely the opposite of the truth. In a most profound manner, Joyce illustrates just how the "appearance of impropriety" is just as bad as an actual impropriety.

Oates' writing style is particularly fascinating in this book. It is a conflation of all her previous talents, with elements of Barthelme image fragments and D.H. Lawrence style deep psychological introversion; it also combines her prior writing styles with her Rosamund Smith (her pseudonym) style in its page turning readability. The character of this style is very, very different; and leaves the reader to interpret much more than Oates usually does. Yet it is also gripping and charismatic in the manner in which she uses it.

This is one of the finest of her novels so far, and completes the transitional writing style, which seems to have been so prevalent, but developmental in her book "Rape: A Love Story." The book is recommended for almost all readers, it is a thriller, a classic and a mystery rolled all into one. The feelings and empathy she displays here are seriously professional. The book is truly a bit magical.

I really enjoyed Sexy. Coming from a teacher point of view and former librarian, I would not have titled it "Sexy". I think the book is so much more than it's title but, that is what the parents are going to see and it might inhibit some students from picking up a great book.
The book explores so may aspects of teen turmoil. I loved the ending!!

I decided to give this book a whirl because I have heard wonderful things about Joyce Carol Oates's Young Adult offerings. Sexy is quite a compelling and thought-provoking novella. When an English teacher is accused of committing a sexual crime, it is up to young Darren to speak in his favor. But Darren is overwhelmed with confusions regarding his sexuality. Darren is quite a popular sixteen-year-old who is part of the swimming team that one of the boys, out of spite for having been flunked, accuses Mr. Tracy of being a pedophile. Darren struggles with his identity and the reader wonders whether or not he is indeed gay. There are various twists throughout the novel.

The novella may seem disjointed at times -- especially toward the end -- but that is because Oates wants you to read between the lines and understand the sort of confusion Darren is going through. The language is remarkable; you feel as though you are having a conversation with the narrator. The language is also quite stark and ambiguous at times, which leaves a lot of room for interpretation. That is the reason why the writing may seem disjointed at times, but this is done on purpose. I was able to feel Darren's loneliness and confusions as though it were my own. His inability to share his insecurities with others spoke volumes. That is what makes Sexy an incredible book that all adolescents, male or female, should read. The novella is thought provoking in more ways than one. Once again, Joyce Carol Oates has wowed me with this effort. This isn't her best book -- her short-story collections are much more literary -- but it is one of the best YA books I have read in a long time. I cannot recommend Sexy enough.

I love Oates. This time around, I felt like she had picked up where Robert Cormier left off. She's our new Cormier! She explores complex ideas, which is always a reason to put your hands together. In swift, smart strokes, she creates breathing characters. Our hero Darren is no exception. But I'm not convinced she's mastered the art of the short novel (teenage or otherwise). This book is crowded with so much drama that demands further exploration, and you see this in some of the more minor characters. Stereotypical jock friends. Give-themselves-over-too-easily girlfriends. Vacuous parents. School administrators who are like chess pieces in Oates' game of plotting. And a sneaky little subplot about Darren's sexuality that is barely mined, almost as if some editor told Oates she couldn't dig deeper in a young adult novel.

Joyce Carol Oates does it again! Another perfect book. I started on the first page as soon as I opened the box from Amazon and felt amazed by what I'd read when I was done a few hours later. Darren Flynn will get into your head and you'll be thinking about his story for days! Highly recommended.

This is the best YA book Oates has wrote so far and I hope she keeps writing them, they keep getting better and better. I finished the whole book in just a few days so it's the perfect book to give to your friends and ask them to read and you don't have to wait for a long reply. READ THIS!!!

Unflinchingly forging into new territory, Joyce Carol Oates has written a novel delving into the mind of an adolescent boy whose potent sexual appeal is only just emerging. The author's first two novels for young adults primarily focused on the lives of unpopular, strong-willed teenage girls. In this novel she writes about a character named Darren who is popular, athletic and (to his confusion) attractive. The story focuses on an encounter Darren has with one of his teachers named Mr Tracy. A group of Darren's friends choose to use this teacher as a scapegoat to divert attention away from their own misconduct. The hapless boy is put under enormous pressure to speak out against his teacher and is forced to make a serious choice.

With remarkable subtlety, Oates depicts this teenage boy's evolving consciousness. You follow how he suddenly becomes aware of himself as a physical presence in the world. The author expresses in the narrative the way that he is unable to articulate his own feelings and thoughts about people such as the girl he is romantically involved with and events such as the ride home with the teacher. Oates skilfully explores the male psyche in Sexy like she did in the accomplished novels What I Lived For and Wonderland, but in a much more compressed form. This novel would make a wonderful start for growing readers who can then continue on to delve into a rich range of adult novels by the same author.

I wish this book had been a bit longer. The ending happens abruptly and while it can be interpreted many ways, I am sure somewill see it as a sign that Darren really is a guy's guy after all. Oates has written an interesting book about the effects a lie has on a teacher's reputation in a small town, but parts of it felt like other young adult novels and even teen-friendly shows like "The Facts of Life" (remember when Jo ruined her journalism teacher's reputation as an act of revenge?) have gone this way before. The character of Darren is wholly original, as is the narration but other aspects of the novel don't ring true.

There is, of course, the old cliche that any sport in a high school draws a crowd and is talked about by everybody. In many high schools, unless it's football or basketball, it really doesn't draw that much attention. I had a hard time accepting that small town went so crazy over swimming and diving. Secondly, we have the character of Mr. Tracy, a single man, who has been bringing his digital camera to the swim meets and taking pictures of the male swimmers and NOBODY ever said anything about that? I'm surprised the scandal, false as it was, took so long to ignite.

Oats has written a thought provoking young adult book that leads to the questions of personal responsibility, as well as self identity and acceptance. Darryl Flynn is a beautiful and charismatic young man. He's popular with his peers and a rising athelete in the swim team. One evening after school one of the teachers gives him a ride home, and Darryl's mind races at the idea of what might happen, of what this teacher might be, and what that might mean Darryl is. Told is quick chapters that burst with angst, Oats puts the story in high gear, barreling towards a dramatic event that send shockwaves through the school and Darryl's questioning mind. Oats provides no easy answers, and instead simply presents an honest portrait of a young man in crisis. I'll admit the language in the beginning threw me for a young adult book, however it's not done in an exploitive way, and does add to the realism of the characters.

I chose to read this book based on a memory of Ms. Oates powerful short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" since the description on the book jacket seemed to indicate that this would cover similar ground...only with a young male protagonist.

That older short story was an unsettling, haunting look into the world of emerging teen sexuality that produces an effect that only a great writer could. That was Oates at the top of her game and she was able to connect with readers of all ages, creating a powerful impact.

This book however is a "different story" all together.

While the writing is capable and the structure makes for a quick read, there is ultimately little of consequence here. We are confronted with issues that should be taken seriously rather than touched upon lightly. And it would have been very nice to have a little more depth to most of the characters.

Oates relies heavily on our understanding common types of people and situations -- presenting attributes and behaviors of these types rather than giving us fully developed characters. This borders on stereotyping.

In this book, we are presented with tragedy. But the conclusion is sadly weak and soulless. Great writing should be more than dumping a collection of "hot" issues on the reader -- even if you can do so in a seamlessly artistic manner. It needs to call to something in our hearts and minds, and raise us up to consider our lives more fully.

To be confronted with superficiality in a book that deals with a main character who is troubled by people seeing only his looks and not understanding the person underneath. That is ironic indeed.