A short and very creepy tale that can be read in one sitting. It is very "gothic", bringing to mind an Ann Radcliffe, Horace Walpole, or Matthew Lewis. It is a bit disturbing as many of Oates' stories can be, so be prepared. I find the mother in the story as horrifying (if not more so) as some of the the other characters with her completely neglectful and self-centered behavior. And I loved the woodcuts by Barry Moser, they are perfect for the book. ( )

I've found that folks don't fare well in Oates' novels. First Love doesn't disappoint.

Oates' visceral descriptions of evil hidden behind the veneer of religion and social hierarchy have created a horror of a novella.

Delia, divorced, brings her young daughter Josie to her cousins' unwelcoming home in upstate New York. She needs to find work and leaves Josie on her own, telling her she must 'be good.' That sets the stage for a lonely, curious child to wander around the grounds and the house.

Unfortunately she finds her cousin Jared.

Jarring and frightening.

This book is more a long short story (86 small pages) than a novel, or even a novella. The story centers around an eleven year old girl named Josie. Josie is lonely as is her mother who left her husband and moved with her and Josie in with her aunt. Enter Josie's second cousin Jared, Jr. who is on leave from his theology studies and moved into the house as well. Josie and Jared, Jr. are both fascinated by one another, and Jared takes advantage of Josie's young age and interest in him and uses her as a test of his celibacy. He physically abuse her and strips her naked, yet not acting on his lust for her. All this occurs while Josie’s mother finds a boyfriend and stays out late at night and takes off out of town for days at a time, totally neglecting young Josie. Obviously, loneliness is a prevalent theme in the book.

This is not one of Oates best books, by a long shot. It is not well written, with many confusing sentences. Often who is being referred to is obscure. The book is written in the second person, which actually works well for this book.

Overall, I did not like the story. None of the characters were likeable, and I could not relate or pull for any of them, not even little, innocent Josie. Being so short, the book lacked any depth and character development was possible, leaving the characters very one-dimensional.

It was painfully obvious Oates mission in writing this book was to address what she felt was hypocrisy in religion. She would have been better off presenting those views in an essay, rather than attempting to disguise them in a fictional account. ( )

Joyce Carol Oates is one of my favourite authors -- even though I find some of her books difficult to read. This one tells the story of 11-year-old Josie and the abusive relationship she finds herself in with her 25-year-old distant cousin, Jared.

Josie's mother, Delia, has left her marriage and brought Josie to live with her aunt, who is Jared' grandmother. Delia is busy with a new job and finding a new man. The aunt isn't happy to have them in her home. Jared is home from seminary school because of a "nervous collapse". Jared's real issues are more serious -- he is a psychopath and pedophile.

Ms. Oats dives deep into Josie's mind with an understanding of how to portray a child. I wonder what lasting scars the events portrayed will leave with Josie. As always, she's created a story that will stay with me. ( )

11-year-old Josie arrives in upstate New York to live with her great-aunt after her mother abandons her father for no apparent reason. There, she meets her 25-year-old cousin, Jared, who is studying to be a minister. Her stay is very unpleasant; she is physically and psychologically abused by both her mother and great-aunt. She is also bullied without mercy at her new school. Her mother turns her away for love and comfort. Feeling abandoned and unloved, she turns to Jared for the affection she longs for. However, Jared's intents are anything but to love and care for her. He uses false affection to get her to self-mutilate herself, drink her own blood, look at pornographic material, and endure verbal abuse from him. He soon begins sexually abusing her, which Josie mistakes to be him expressing true love to her, although she knows that what they are doing is wrong. Jared attempts to force Josie to kidnap a very young girl for him at which point Josie is able to finally resist, leading to the breakdown of the relationship with Jared. The novella ends with Jared's return to the seminary and with Josie looking forward to a new chapter in her life.