The Frenzy : Stories

A gripping collection of propulsive, psychologically suspenseful stories by the legendary Joyce Carol Oates “who is surely on any shortlist of America’s greatest living writers” (The New York Times Magazine)

“A genius in the truest sense of the word.”—Rebecca Makkai
“One of the greatest writers among us today.”—Gillian Flynn
“Haunting . . . masterfully orchestrated . . . Oates’s best work is simmering and remorseless.”—Vogue
“Astounding . . . Oates imbues this entire book with psychological suspense and high stakes.”—Harper''s Bazaar

“Already one of our most accomplished and, yes, prolific living writers, Oates is on a thrilling winning streak with her third stellar work of literary fiction in two years. Call it the JCOaissance. Or maybe don’t. But definitely pick up this collection.”—Publishers Weekly (Pick of the Week)

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: Vogue, Haper’s Bazaar, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Lit Hub, AARP

Frenzy (noun): a temporary madness; a violent mental or emotional agitation; intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity

Joyce Carol Oates is a master of the short story and one of the legends of the form. Her collections of short fiction have twice been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and have won numerous awards, including the O. Henry Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Art of the Short Story. In The Frenzy: Stories, Oates plunges us into the lives of her characters at moments of crisis and confusion, when much of what they understand about themselves and those they love comes undone.

A young woman on a supposedly romantic weekend trip to Cape May, New Jersey, turns the tables on her older, married lover. A freak bicycle accident