Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang

FOXFIRE by Joyce Carol Oates is a haunting tale of the relationships developed among groups of outcasts and "leftovers," marginalized by the established mainstream. The subtitle is "Confessions of a Girl Gang," and that is exactly what is told. The story is set in upstate New York but could be anywhere in American suburbia. The group of girls gang together, at first out of circumstance, then survival, and finally love. Despite the mostly pathetic personality of the characters, they become endearing and fit nicely into the world Oates has created. I hesitate to recommend FOXFIRE to those unfamiliar with Oates' pastiche narrative style and penchant for (mostly mild) violence in her stories, but this did grip me and I considered it a "page turner." The movie version is only loosely based on the novel, with more differences than similarities. Even with the successful cult following, which is at least partly due to Angelina Jolie's subsequent fame, the book outshines the movie's comparative mediocrity.

When I read Foxfire four years ago, I became a Joyce Carol Oates fanatic. That didn't change when I read it again just recently. Its appeal is the girl gang idea- about the power struggles that each of the five girls as they move through adolescence. Legs Sadowsky is a troubled young girl who brings four others together in ways they never thought possible. Oates has a marvelous way with words, in which you are horrified yet at the same time fascinated by all that happens. Legs makes for a marvelous, beautiful character in that way. The girls are brutal to one another, and harsh to an outside world, which has, in a way, rejected them. In the end, the girls have to make decisions about growing up that affect each other and, inevitably, the outside world. Its a sexy, sad, and thought-provoking book that I couldn't put down.

JCO draws a terrific portrayal of a girl gang in upper NY State in the 50's. The way they became a gang was not to cause harm, but as a way to protect themselves from the horrible abuses that they faced on their day-to-day lives. How can these girls ultimately become so brutal, cold and heartless? Surprise, surprise: it all starts at home. They also wanted to protect others, their sisters, from abuse and injustice. As one reader pointed out, how many times have you been groped and insulted? Was there anything you could have done about it? Well, the Foxfire girls put their feet down and decided to retaliate. However, their sense of retaliation went too far, and they caused more damage than good at the end. As with anything in life, self-righteousness always takes the better part of you. Another excellent point that the book covers is group dynamics. Teamwork and its multiple facets, the roles people assume in a group context, the cliques, the power plays, and the dominating/submissive personalities. I am surprised no one has brought up the erotic overtones of these relationships, especially between Legs and Maddy. Is it sisterly love only? In my opinion, these girls were so hungry for love and their interactions with males had been so catastrophic that by exclusion they were inclined to homosexuality. Although these feelings were never realized, they are so real and so complete that 40 years later Maddy still cries about Legs. This is one of those texture books, where you can intensely see, smell, taste, and hear what is going on in the page. The scenes about Legs in solitary confinement are particularly vivid. I like the ending a lot, from the time of Maddy's visit to Rita, to the final comments about the transcripts. JCO is a master at what she does. She was able to concentrate the whole essence of the book in one final sentence, one of the most brilliant endings i have ever read.

I read this book a year ago, and I have reread it many times since. I suppose I am the target audience, I'm a girl, was 16 when I first read it, and I felt pretty alone at the time. But each time I read it, not matter how I'm feeling, it enthralls me from start to finish. The characters are deep, not the stereotypical teenagers you get in most novels. You understand where each character is coming from, what there motivation is. Nothing is ever out of character in this book. Plus, you know a book is great when it randomly pops up in your mind, and you're inspired to reread the entire thing on a regular bases. This work is pure genius, and it will be burning in your mind for years to come.

Oates' novel begins with a furious pace and never lets up. The prose mirrors the feeling and the action of the novel -- fast-paced, raw and vibrant. Legs Sadovsky is one of the most memorable characters I have encountered in a long time -- a complex character that needs another book! I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn't stop reading. I had to find our what happened to Foxfire and Legs and why these girls ended up separating. The way Oates develops the chracterization of the gang, as if it were a character itself, is fantastic. We watch the gang go from petty vandalism to violence and prostitution, and the whole way we can understand why they have made the choices they do. I felt for these characters and never once thought they went too far, even their final act which seals their fate.