The The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice is a 2015 novel by Joyce Carol Oates. Set in blighted urban New Jersey in the 1980s, it follows a young Black woman, Sybilla, who is discovered in a degraded condition in an abandoned factory after going missing. When she alleges that she was kidnapped, assaulted, and left for dead by a group of white police officers, her cause is taken up by an ambitious and unscrupulous civil rights activist and his lawyer brother, despite evidence of deceit in her story.

The events of the novel are based on the real-life Tawana Brawley case, and takes place in a part of New Jersey still suffering from the aftermath of post-war deindustrialization and the 1967 Newark riots. Following some of Oates's previous work, the novel explores themes of race, police violence, exploitation, and how individuals can be turned into symbols. Oates views the novel as "strongly linked" to her 1969 novel Them. It received a polarized critical reception: some reviews praised its treatment of the theme of racial inequality, while others felt it lacked nuance and empathy.

The novel is told from multiple points of view, including Sybilla's, her mother's, and the civil rights activist's. This allows Oates to explore the different ways that people experience and interpret the events of the story.

The novel begins with Sybilla's disappearance. She is found a few days later, covered in feces and racial slurs, and her story of being kidnapped and assaulted by the police quickly becomes a media sensation. The civil rights activist, who is known for his inflammatory rhetoric, takes up Sybilla's cause and turns her into a symbol of racial injustice.

The novel follows the events of the case as it unfolds in the media and in the court system. Oates shows how the case is manipulated by both sides, and how it becomes a tool for political gain.

The novel also explores the personal cost of the case to Sybilla and her family. Sybilla is traumatized by the assault, and her family is torn apart by the media attention.

The Sacrifice is a powerful novel that explores the complex issues of race, class, and justice in America. It is a timely and important novel.

Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Dated: 2015
Publisher: Ecco (Harper Collins)
Edition: 1st
Size: 8vo
Binding: Hardcover Dust Jacket
Type: Literature
Condition Report: Very Good Plus to Fine.