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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Suicide, drowning, and violence across the family saga
Language
Some
Strong language; Oates's literary register
Sexual Content
Some
Adult sexual content across multiple adult relationships
Substance Use
Barely any
Some alcohol use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Profound psychological darkness; trauma, obsession, and the generational transmission of damage
What this book is about
Ariah Erskine is a witness when a man throws himself over Niagara Falls on the first day of her honeymoon. Her marriage to Dirk Burnaby — the lawyer who helps her — brings decades of prosperity and darkness, ending in another death that will haunt their children. Oates's epic family novel is characteristically dense, dark, and formally ambitious.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Suicide depicted
Deep psychological darkness
Adult content
Multigenerational tragedy
Reader Verification
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