By the North Gate
Short Stories,  Repeat Authors

By the North Gate

By the North Gate 

By the North Gate is a collection of short stories from my favorite author, Joyce Carol Oates. I recently made a list of everything she has ever written, so that I can check them all off the list as I go. It has long been one of my goals to read everything she has ever written, which is no small feat, but I will get there. 

I was looking at my bookshelf today when I decided it was time to read another of her books, and I was actually surprised to find this one. I love that I own a copy of her very first book! It was published in 1963. I have always thought there was something really special about every author’s first book, and this is certainly no exception. 

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Somehow after reading Fox, her latest novel, it seems fitting to go back to the beginning and read the very first book that she published. This makes the eleventh book by Joyce Carol Oates to be reviewed here in my blog. 

The description doesn’t exactly give much away about what I’ll be reading, other than it is a collection of short stories. So let’s see where the journey takes us! I think it is kind of fun to go into reading a book without knowing much about it at times. 

Have you read By the North Gate? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate

About By the North Gate 

By the North Gate is a collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. It was the author’s first book, first published by Vanguard Press in 1963. 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate

Thoughts on By the North Gate 

Swamps 

“But don’t you pay him no mind, he talks about bein’ sick of life. It ain’t life gone sour on him, it’s hisself. But that’s all right. You pay him no mind. This-here is a damn good world, a goddam good world, it’s all you got an’ you better pay attention to it.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This story is told from the perspective of a younger boy as he is growing up, and observing everyone around him. This would be his grandfather, his parents, and his older sister. He and his mother seem to be the only ones who get along with the grandfather. 

It is a good illustration of how generations change. The grandfather came from a generation of farmers and homesteaders, and the son went to work in a factory and is incredibly unhappy. Grandfather does the “right” thing in helping someone who really needed it, and got hurt in the process. 

I haven’t decided if this should be a cautionary tale not to help others because of the potential consequences, or if there should be more people like this in the world, who help despite the potential consequences. 

The Census Taker 

“It was not only the weariness of his work that oppressed him, but strange thoughts that had haunted him all that day. He had been thinking of, actually dreaming about, waves and water, lakes, oceans – and, coming to this forlorn house, making his way through the brittle silvergrass that looked like stilled waves, he tried to force such thoughts away; he tried to prepare himself for his work, to summon up authority into his expression, his manner.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

I found I could relate to the census taker, in that he was on edge around children. I was raised by a textbook narcissist, and I don’t have a nurturing bone in my body, so I’ve often struggled to relate to children or be around them for any length of time. 

This one was an easier read than the first story, but I’m also not sure if it was real or a dream. Meaning the census taker was dreaming or the encounter with the family was real. 

I’m still wondering if the ocean mentions and being carried away were hinting at suicide, or just a visual or dream for the census taker. I have so many questions! But that is what a good short story does, it makes you question things, imagine if it was a full novel and going farther. It sparks the imagination. 

Ceremonies 

“If there was any other sense communicated through the congregation that day, it was a sense of pride, perhaps even love, for the symbolic gesture the man Rockland had made – his concession, his recognition, his strengthening, rather, of the mystical bond of community in this town the frontier seemed never to have touched.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

I haven’t decided how I feel about this story. It certainly kept my attention, but I’m not sure what to think about the characters in it. It was one that made me feel a range of emotions. Happy, sad, like karma made an appearance, people change and grow. This is one that will stick in my head for a while. 

Sweet Love Remembered 

“How much of her life, she saw now, had been made up of these odd lapses of time, these odd thoughts, binding one time to another!” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This one was a really tough yet powerful read. It spoke to me. It is relatable, it is one that I felt deep in my soul. It is hard not to spoil it for you, but it’s one of those, ‘if you know, you know’, kind of things. 

Boys at a Picnic 

“I don’t need no god damn map,” he had said. “I can do this-here trip by instruments.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

Well… this story didn’t turn out the way I had anticipated. It was… savage. Savage is the best word I can describe this as. Because it kind of came out of nowhere and shocked me as the reader. But that is what a good story does. 

I haven’t decided if I liked or disliked this story. But it’s one that will stick with me for a while. I am always amazed when a story, especially a short one, is memorable, and will stay with me long after I’ve read it and moved on to others. 

Pastoral Blood 

“She stopped chewing; an idea came to her. How strange she should be eating at all, enjoying this half-stale doughnut – perhaps it was a mistake to die when doughnuts were so good, even in a coffee-pot-like diner like this, with flies circling dazedly overhead…” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This story is my favorite so far. Because it could easily be a full novel. It made so much sense, and also is very much Joyce Carol Oates, in her exploration of women, how they behave, the things that happen to them, and so much more. I can absolutely see this story being a catalyst for many of her future novels and the development of her signature writing style. 

An Encounter with the Blind 

He was still blowing now and then through the harmonica. Then he quit. He put it away and pushed his suitcase carefully to one side and slid over closer to the Senator, who was driving as before, staring at the road. A tight, cold feeling had begun in his stomach.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This is my least favorite story in this collection so far. It is short and to the point, but I’m just not a fan. I am struggling to articulate exactly why, but it just wasn’t my favorite. It didn’t leave me wanting more, or finding meaning in it, or anything else I typically enjoy from Oates’ writing. This may simply be because I’m comparing it with all the others I’ve read in this book so far. It is really hard not to compare the stories. 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate

Images 

“Like father, like daughter… I don’t know why. We weren’t alike. I didn’t know him. My childhood was taken up with my trying to know myself. So I knew no one. I think I loved him.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This is another story that I felt deep in my core. Not only is it another signature Joyce Carol Oates story, it is one that resonated with me and I felt it. It was relatable in so many ways. I could easily see this being a full novel. In fact, it gives me We Were the Mulvaneys vibes. Like this may have been a basic starting idea for it. 

It isn’t the same story, by any stretch of the imagination, but I can see this being a baseline idea for it at the same time. I always find it interesting how I can see evolutions and the beginnings of Joyce Carol Oates’ writing in these short stories. It’s like looking back at photos and seeing a story unfold. 

Edge of the World 

“Shell was eighteen just the day before his unlucky race with Jan.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This story felt like the beginning of a novel, and not fully complete yet. It wasn’t my favorite. But, I’m struggling not to compare these stories to each other as I go. Which is actually difficult. This one was a quick read, but it didn’t speak to me at all either. 

A Legacy 

“Some things I want to ask you… so I know it straight. About what happened. I got to know it all. I got to have it there so when I think back on it, an’ on you, I’ll know how it went.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This was a really sad story for me to read. It made perfect sense, but it hit deep into the feels and made me reflect and think about things that have happened in my own life. It is one that will stick with me for a while, after I’ve read other stories. 

I firmly believe that this is the sign of an excellent writer, which Joyce Carol Oates certainly qualifies as such. When she can write stories that stick with a person, and speak to them, or cause them to pause and reflect. I always appreciate when that happens, because it isn’t just a fluff or surface-level read. I like stories like this where they make me think. 

In the Old World 

“I think it might of been like it always way. This was no new world to them; this was the old world still. When they come they made it old… Even with all time ahead, it won’t get any different, will it? So much time ahead, I mean, you’d think it could wear down anything. Don’t you think so?” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This was an odd confession to a crime, and a long-winded one at that. It was a good story, just an odd story. I feel like it needs something else to feel complete. But I’m not entirely sure what that is. 

I haven’t decided if I like or dislike this one yet. I may not either. We will find out somewhere along the way, I suppose. 

The Fine White Mist of Winter 

“At the wheel, Murray had muttered that he had never seen such snow; and every time he exploded into a brief, hard, almost painful series of curses, the snowstorm outside the car grew thicker.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen in this story, but I knew it couldn’t be good. It surprised me, to be honest. It wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be. But it also didn’t feel like a complete story. Something was missing in the interactions between the characters, and I didn’t quite follow it. It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t my favorite either. 

The Expense of Spirit 

“To avoid Gordie – and he did it rather clumsily – Leo backed against the wall and looked around the room, as if there was someone there he must meet. But the peculiar thing was that, though he had known nearly everyone for years and they were perfectly familiar to him, they were also, oddly, strangers; he could not feel anything for them.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This is officially my least favorite story in this book. Mostly because I just couldn’t see the point of it. I found it to have too many characters, hard to follow, and boring. It just did nothing for me in terms of what I deem great in a quality short story. 

By the North Gate 

“Revere watched the hound and thought about what had happened. He knew something had happened. And there had to be a reason for it – a reason he must try to discover.” 

Joyce Carol Oates, By the North Gate

This story hit me hard about getting older, and what happens as we age. I felt for the main character in the story, and him struggling to read. Getting older is simply a fact of life, but it isn’t as graceful and pretty as we would all like to think it is. 

Final Thoughts on By the North Gate 

I am calling By the North Gate a 4 star read because I really enjoyed it. But I can’t see myself reading it again, and that is one of the criteria of a five star read for me. 

But what I will say is that I am so glad I chose this as my latest Joyce Carol Oates read, especially after reading Fox, and being able to go back and see where she got her start in writing. It was definitely worth the time, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her older writing as I go along in my reading journey. 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate

Discussion 

Have you read By the North Gate or any other writing from author Joyce Carol Oates? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate author Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is the author of more than 70 books, including novels, short story collections, poetry volumes, plays, essays, and criticism, including the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde. 

Among her many honors are the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction and the National Book Award. Oates is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University, and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978. 

By the North Gate
By the North Gate author Joyce Carol Oates

Purchasing By the North Gate 

  • If you are interested in buying the paperback version of By the North Gate, click here.
  • For the hardcover version, click here
  • Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from Joyce Carol Oates 

Did you enjoy my review of By the North Gate? Need another great Joyce Carol Oates book to read? Here are my favorites! 

  • By the North Gate 
  • With Shuddering Fall 
  • The Goddess and Other Women 
  • Upon the Sweeping Flood 
  • Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 
  • A Garden of Earthly Delights 
  • Expensive People 
  • Anonymous Sins and Other Poems 
  • Them 
  • The Wheel of Love and Other Stories 
  • Cupid and Psyche 
  • Wonderland 
  • Angel Fire 
  • Do With Me What You Will 
  • The Hungry Ghosts 
  • Love and Its Derangements and Other Poems 
  • The Seduction and Other Stories 
  • The Poisoned Kiss and Other Stories from the Portuguese 
  • The Assassins 
  • Crossing the Border 
  • The Triumph of the Spider Monkey 
  • Childwold 
  • Night-Side 
  • Women Whose Lives Are Food, Men Whose Lives Are Money 
  • Marriage and Infidelities 
  • Cybele 
  • Son of the Morning 
  • All the Good People I’ve Left Behind 
  • Unholy Loves 
  • A Sentimental Education 
  • Three Plays 
  • Bellefleur 
  • The Perfectionist and Other Plays 
  • Angel of Light 
  • Invisible Woman 
  • A Bloodsmoor Romance 
  • Wild Saturday and Other Stories 
  • Last Days 
  • Mysteries of Winterthurn 
  • Luxury of Sin 
  • Solstice 
  • Raven’s Wing 
  • Marya 
  • You Must Remember This 
  • The Assignation
  • Time Traveler 
  • American Appetites 
  • I Lock My Door Upon Myself 
  • Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart 
  • Heat and Other Stories 
  • Oates in Exile 
  • Twelve Plays 
  • The Rise of Life on Earth 
  • Where is Here? 
  • Black Water 
  • Foxfire 
  • Haunted 
  • What I Lived For 
  • Zombie 
  • First Love 
  • Tenderness 
  • Demon and Other Tales 
  • Will You Always Love Me? 
  • We Were the Mulvaneys 
  • Man Crazy
  • The Collector of Hearts 
  • New Plays 
  • My Heart Laid Bare 
  • Where I’ve Been, and Where I’m Going 
  • Broke Heart Blues 
  • In Shock 
  • Blonde 
  • Faithless 
  • Beasts 
  • Middle Age 
  • I’ll Take You There 
  • Big Mouth and Ugly Girl 
  • Small Avalanches and Other Stories
  • The Haunting 
  • Rape 
  • Freaky Green Eyes 
  • The Tattooed Girl 
  • I Am No One You Know 
  • The Falls 
  • The Female of the Species 
  • Sexy 
  • Missing Mom 
  • High Lonesome 
  • Black Girl/White Girl 
  • After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away 
  • The Museum of Dr. Moses 
  • The Gravedigger’s Daughter 
  • Little Bird of Heaven 
  • Wild Nights! 
  • My Sister, My Love 
  • Dear Husband 
  • Give Me Your Heart 
  • Sourland 
  • A Fair Maiden 
  • L.A. Noire 
  • Spotted Hyenas 
  • The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares 
  • Black Dahlia White Rose 
  • Patricide 
  • The Rescuer 
  • Mudwoman 
  • Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You 
  • Evil Eye 
  • Daddy Love 
  • The Accursed 
  • High Crime Area 
  • Lovely, Dark, Deep
  • Carthage 
  • Mystery, Inc. 
  • The Sacrifice 
  • Jack of Spades 
  • The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror 
  • Big Momma 
  • Gun Accident 
  • The Crawl Space 
  • The Man Without a Shadow 
  • The Sign of the Beast 
  • A Book of American Martyrs 
  • Beautiful Days 
  • Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense 
  • Dis Mem Ber and Other Stories of Mystery and Suspense 
  • Hazards of Time Travel 
  • My Life as a Rat 
  • The Pursuit 
  • Cardiff, by the Sea 
  • Night Sleep Death The Stars 
  • The (Other) You: Stories 
  • American Melancholy 
  • Night, Neon 
  • Breathe 
  • Extenuating Circumstances 
  • Babysitter 
  • Zero Sum 
  • 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister 
  • Flint Kill Creek 
  • Butcher 
  • Fox 

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By the North Gate
By the North Gate

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