You Must Remember This

This mid-length novel details the lives of Enid, Felix and Lyle Stevick very well, weaving them together in violent, explicit and tragic ways to show a tapestry of life in America’s “golden years”. Though published in 1987, You Must Remember This exposes taboo topics from the fifties. This novel will cultivate readership today and tomorrow because these “forbidden” topics of childhood sexuality, lust, governmental distrust, death, mortality, self-control and rebellion remain relevant.Oates depiction of a grey, dilapidated fictitious town in upstate New York is uncanny and parallels real-life upstate New York well (sorry Buffalo people). Through her excellent writing, Oates makes this novel worth the read even with an unclear resolution. Maybe this was her intention, to startle, shock and jolt the reader into a new perspective on adolescent sexuality and our own mortality.Grab a large glass of cabernet, your leopard print snuggie and slightly overweight cat and get ready for a gripping and powerful novel that will erase your weekend.Final book rating:82/100

A deep, moving and fascinating portrayal of a family in the mid-1950s. Ms. Oates is a very good writer and she is really able to evoke a sense of time and place. Most importantly, she gives us complex, real characters. As is often the case with her novels, this one made me a little uncomfortable as it dealt with sensitive issues; in this case, there is violence and incest. She doesn't shy away from describing these issues, but doesn't glorify them either. It is the REALNESS of her writing that grabs me every time.

Never have I received such a quick & carefully wrapped book! In the wettest area of the U.S. that's very important. Enclosed was a beautiful Victorian thank you note. Book was everything promise. I'll definitely look for Gene's Books!

Don't miss reading this novel.

Oates is such an interesting writer! Every one of her books seems to have a different writing style. This one is long and intricate and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Didn't want it to end.

Depressing plot...JCO needs a better editor.

I wanted to like "You Must Remember This" especially after reading all the great reviews + the plot sounded interesting. I couldn't finish the book . It got boring. Maybe I'm just going through a "reader's block" spell where I can't get into anything I read.Something about the way the story was written was dull.

The material was difficult to read at times.

You Must Remember This is a well-written, engaging novel even if it made my flesh crawl at times.JCO is an expert at characterisation, creating characters that area real, made of flesh and blood, people you love, hate and sometimes a bit of both. This novel is no exception. The characters are messed-up for the most part, highly dysfunctional but brilliant nevertheless.The setting of this novel, both the place and time period is fantastically realised. JCO includes memorable, vivid detail. As ever, JCO’s writing is spot on. She knows how to tell a story, create places, situations and people you can love, hate or feel a range of complex emotions for.This book would have a 5-star rating.Except, I really struggled with the portrayal of Enid and Felix’s relationship as a normal part of Enid growing up, evolving and learning about love and the meaning of life.I enjoyed the portrayal of Lyle and Hannah’s faltering marriage and Warren’s life but much of this is overshadowed by Enid and Felix. I would have preferred less of Enid and Felix and more of the other characters experiences.

An early book by this very prolific writer, You Must Remember This is a compelling read. The atmosphere of the setting (early to mid 1950s New York working-class family life) is brilliantly evoked. Eisenhower is the President, Senator Joe McCarthy is looking for reds under the bed, and the Rosenbergs are about to go to the electric chair.Lyle Stevick runs a second-hand furniture store and the lives of the Stevick family are depicted with faultless authenticity. There are several strands running through the novel. The experiences of Enid Maria, the Stevick's youngest daughter (who is 12 as the novel begins) unfold alongside those of her brother Warren, who is injured in the Korean war, her father Lyle and mother Hannah, and the younger half-brother of Lyle, Felix, who is in the midst of a successful boxing career as the novel opens. It would be hard to say which strand is the more addictive, but Enid Maria's affair with her Uncle Felix is the most disturbing and is a brilliant tour de force, taking in the boxing world, racketeering and a dark undercurrent of sexual transgression.The writing is completely character-driven - we get Lyle's voice in his sections, and Felix's, Enid Maria's and Warren's voices in theirs. Some of the sections are too long and maybe too self-indulgent on Oates's part, but the compelling story-lines drive the novel forward relentlessly. The book is often violent and sexually explicit, but at its heart is the story of one American family that leaps from the page and into your head. More stringent editing would have improved it, but undoubtedly this novel is, on several levels, a stunningly unforgettable read.Unfortunately, I'm too ham fisted to manage the half stars, my real score is four and a half.