Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 5:19AM |  12°
MENU
Advertisement
Joyce Carol Oates.
2
MORE

'The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror': Joyce Carol Oates conjures the familiar fears

Charles Gross

'The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror': Joyce Carol Oates conjures the familiar fears

One of the stranger parts of the human condition may be our deep fascination, and at times troubling exploration, of the darker aspects of our nature. Our hunger for this subject has created a seemingly never-ending stream of television shows, movies, books, and other forms of media that dive into the heart of some of our most deplorable actions.


"THE DOLL-MASTER AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR"
By Joyce Carol Oates
Mysterious Press ($24).

But when it comes to literature, no other author explores the ugly, and at times, blazingly unapologetic underbelly of these impulses quite like Joyce Carol Oates in “The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror.” This is a collection of six frightening — and deeply disturbing — short stories that defy what even the most hardened booklover might expect from tales of horror and crime. Stories that, for better or for worse, stay with the reader long after they’ve turned the final twisted page.

The typical author who specializes in mystery and suspense will choose to have an investigator or anonymous third person narrate the story with a sense of detail and calculation — not so with “The Doll Master.” Ms. Oates has taken the path less traveled, by having the majority of the short stories told by the perpetrator themselves. By utilizing the first person, Ms. Oates quietly pushes the readers to empathize with these characters, no matter how unsympathetic they can appear at first glance, leading to some potentially unsettling realizations.

Advertisement

However, that’s not to say that the narrators who are also the killers are automatically — and wholly — terrible people. There are no clichéd evil doctors or slasher characters that only come out under the cover of night in “The Doll-Master.” Instead, Ms. Oates imbues each victim and perpetrator with an uncomfortable familiarity — it could be easy to imagine that we could walk by many of these characters on our way to pick up some groceries. That tangibility and realness is where the true terror in these stories can be found. And many horror fans, no matter how devout, may find it to be not exactly to their taste.

Perhaps the most striking tale in this collection is narrated from the perspective of a white man who has apparently shot a black teenager in what he claims is self-defense. Though the premise of the story as a backdrop for horror may seem queasily obvious, it’s the details, such as the sycophantic letters of support and the money he receives in droves — despite the ambiguous and horrendous nature of the crime — that make your hair stand on end.

The type of chills that Ms. Oates conjures throughout “The Doll-Master” are quite different than those we get upon hearing a ghost story told around a campfire, or even reading about a serial killer in a time gone by. The horror she creates comes from a particular subset of the genre that Ms. Oates is a master of — a terror that’s tangible, that’s entrenched in the reality of our day to day lives.

For those who are looking to read a slightly more conventional, yet still fiendish tale, the titular story, “The Doll-Master,” is the closest Ms. Oates gets. But like all of her stories, the author imbues it with deep psychological pangs, and a scattered, almost uncomfortable prose that proves she is at her best when pushing the genre’s boundaries.

Advertisement

Readers who hunger for clean-cut stories with definitive endings, for solid lines between victim and perpetrator, good and bad, will not find what they’re looking for in “The Doll-Master.” Instead, this particular collection of short stories gives those of us who are fascinated with the more sinister aspects of human behavior the type of release we perhaps, begrudgingly, crave.

Mia Bencivenga is a freelance writer and editor based in Pittsburgh (miabencivenga14@gmail.com).

First Published: July 10, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Traffic passes by U.S. Steel in Braddock on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. An activist investor has accused U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt of potential insider trading as the group pressures investors to support its own plan for the iconic Pittsburgh steelmaker, which includes a new board and abandoning a planned merger with Japan’s Nippon Steel.
1
business
Ancora launches ‘Make U.S. Steel Great Again’ campaign, accuses CEO of insider trading
Gov. Josh Shapiro is joined in the broadcast booth by Curtis Aiken before the start of Pitt-Syracuse on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center.
2
sports
Governor Josh Shapiro aims to make Pennsylvania 'compete' in NIL, bring 'stability' to transfer portal
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)
3
news
McCormick on board with Trump, DOGE shakeup while Fetterman blasts 'chaos, confusion'
Head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith watch a receivers and defensive backs drill at Steelers Minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Thursday, June 13, 2024.
4
sports
Gerry Dulac: Next season’s major decisions loom this week for Mike Tomlin, Steelers staff
Pitt’s Jalend Lowe (15) shoots a 3-pointer against Syracuse at the NCAA men’s basketball game on Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025 at Petersen Event Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
5
sports
Instant analysis: Opportunistic Pitt defense flips another first half deficit into win over Syracuse
Joyce Carol Oates.  (Charles Gross)
"The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror," by Joyce Carol Oates.
Charles Gross
Advertisement
LATEST ae
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story