REVIEW: The Sign of the Beast

The Sign of the Beast
Author: Joyce Carol Oates

Howard is 12 years old. He's a stocky, large boy and in that clumsy stage just as puberty hits. He's nervous around girls and easily embarrassed. This gets even worse when Mrs. S____ takes over teaching Sunday school at his church.  She says his name strangely, says the birthmark on his cheek is the mark of the beast, teases him, touches him.....  She makes him nervous and strangely excited at the same time. She wont stop.....seeming to revel in his embarrassment. But then he starts to follow her, turning the tables. What will Mrs. S_______ think when she notices Howard is always lurking about everywhere she goes? But did things really happen the way Howard remembers?

This story was incredibly disturbing. As the mother of two sons, I have a hard time reading about abuse of boys by authority figures. Teachers, especially ones who teach at a church, should be above reproach. But Mrs. S_____ is disgusting. She sneakily gets inappropriate with an innocent young boy, and doesn't realize there will be consequences for her actions at some point. Joyce Carol Oates builds the creepy, sinister atmosphere quickly in this chilling little tale.....and never quite gives the entire answer at the end. Did he? Or didn't he? Did she? Someone did ...... did she deserve it? Did the punishment fit the crime? Hmmmm....... this is the sort of story that I finish and then wonder a couple days about before coming to a decision about what exactly I just read, what it meant and how I feel about it. Right now, as the mother of a 13 year old, I want to jump into the story and throttle Mrs. S____ myself (maybe I did.....maybe that's the answer!)  Or maybe I want to jump in there and give Howard some help......get him some therapy, yell at his mother, yell at Mrs. S______  .....  I'm not sure. I do know the story definitely pushed my Mom-buttons. But then again......did things really happen the way Howard remembers? Am I sure? No.....I can't be sure. So creepy!!

This story was released in 2017, but Joyce Carol Oates has a cnew ollection of suspense tales, Night Gaunts, coming out in 2018. Although this story made me uncomfortable, I'd like to read her new book when it comes out. The writing was superb.....and the story is supposed to make readers uncomfortable.