“The Hunter” by Joyce Carol Oates

This story is in an old Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine from a couple of years ago. There is a problem with it. I’m not sure why, but I’m finding it tough going though it is only about ten pages long and I skipped a page. I just can bring myself to finish it. Frankly, I think I’m bored. Ms. Oates (whose story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” I have taught several times in class) tries to present the inner workings of a sick mind, but it seems a bit forced to me. Hold on…

I’ve finished reading the story now. Still don’t like it. Still seems forced, and I certainly don’t feel like I was actually in the mind of a psychopath. Not Ms. Oates’s best work.