Product Description

From one of America's best loved and most prolific novelists: the story of a woman coming to terms with the violent death of her mother, and uncovering all the hidden secrets stowed away over the years. When her mother uncharacteristically fails to return her phone calls, 31-year old Nikki Eaton calls in to check up on her. She finds the house turned upside-down, and her mother lying dead, murdered, on the garage floor. Single, sexually liberated and economically self-supporting, Nikki has never particularly thought of herself as a daughter. She learns to cope with the unexpected loss of her mother over the course of a tumultuous year of mourning that brings sorrow and even from an unexpected source, a nurturing love. This is a candid, engaging and personal novel about mothers and daughters from one of the greatest American novelists alive today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64577 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Review
Praise for Joyce Carol Oates and 'Mother, Missing': 'One of the female frontrunners for the title of Great American Novelist.' Maggie Gee, Sunday Times 'A writer of extraordinary strengths!she has dealt consistently with what is probably the great American theme -- the quest for the creation of self!Her great subject, naturally, is love.' Ian Sansom, Guardian 'Unlike anything else she has ever written!A very strong and readable novel; the rivalry between the two sisters is especially well observed.' Edmund White, Books of the Year, Time Literary Supplement 'This is a wonderfully engaging story about the difficult relationship between mothers and daughters, sibling dynamics, family secrets and, of course the larger themes of love and loss from one of America's most prolific and interesting writers who never fails to deliver.' Daily Mail 'Her prose is peerless and her ability to make you think as she re-invents genres is unique. Few writers move so effortlessly from the gothic tale to the psychological thriller to the epic family saga to the lyrical novella. Even fewer authors can so compellingly and entertainingly tell a story.' Jackie McGlone, Scotland on Sunday 'Novelists such as John Updike, Philip Roth, Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer slug it out for the title of the Great American Novelist. But maybe they're wrong. Maybe, just maybe, the Great American Novelist is a woman.' The Herald 'The astonishingly prolific Joyce Carol Oates, whose output includes 50 novels as well as numerous short-story collections, has produced yet another page-turner with this tale of a disaffected daughter coming to terms with the sudden death of her mother.' The Times 'Poignant and raw.' Observer

The Times
'Oates...has produced yet another page-turner with this tale...'

Observer
'poignant and raw.'

Customer Reviews

A beautiful work
Joyce Carol Oates doesn't seem to be that well known this side of the Atlantic which I find rather baffling. For anyone wishing to find a way into her work (at over 30 novels and dozens of other publications it can be rather daunting), a reader won't go far wrong with "Mother, Missing". The book follows a year in the life of a 30 something woman following the sudden death of her mother. Neither the death, nor particularly the grieving are the focus of the book; rather it examines at our perceptions of the lives of those closest to us and our assumptions about ourselves. It is not sentimental but rather evokes a deeply empathetic reaction. Perhaps not one to read if you've recently lost someone close to you - but a great reflection on identity and purpose and a way into a great writer's work.