New Jersey
Joyce Carol Oates on a New Jersey Adventure
Your story “The Frenzy” describes a weekend trip to Cape May, New Jersey, taken by a married father in his forties and the nineteen-year-old woman he calls his “teen-aged mistress.” How did the story begin for you? Did the idea come first, the characters, or the setting?
“The Frenzy” has two sources. One is the spectacle of an astonishing “feeding frenzy” of hundreds of thousands or millions of fish of all sizes, which I must have seen decades ago from a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, like the one mentioned in the story; it made a lasting impression upon me, and makes me shudder even now.
The other source is the setting: suburban New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway, Barnegat Light, and beautiful historic Cape May in the off-season. The right backdrop for a man hoping to revivify his life in some way. Also, to a lesser extent, the gritty urban New York City landscape around Varick Street—a neighborhood of expensive lofts in buildings that, from the exterior, seem minimal, grim.
“The Frenzy” seems to me a very New Jersey story, an adventure of naïve hope, cynicism, humbling, and humiliation—an ending that is surprising to the male protagonist but perhaps also to the female character.
At times, the man, Cassidy, seems like a stereotypical philandering suburban husband—narcissistic, domineering, but convinced of his own good intentions. At others, there are undertones of malevolence, potential violence. Is Cassidy banally self-aggrandizing, or is he something worse? Or do you want to keep the reader unsure?
Cassidy would appear to be a man yearning for an experience that gives meaning to his life, which seems to have atrophied, lost its significance. He has an unexplored capacity for brutality, which he is on the brink of revealing—but doesn’t, quite. Cape May is a place out of time, in a sense, ahistoric, a kind of alternate moral universe, where, if he wishes, he could punish Brianna at will—or so he thinks. At the same time, he is a middle-aged man fearful of throwing out his back. He hates seeing Brianna on her cellphone because he knows that she is texting a friend circle of people her own age, sending them pictures, messages, of a kind that she would never send him.
Brianna does initially pursue Cassidy, and although she seems willing to take or leave the affair, she is the one who calls Cassidy and asks to go on a drive. What do you think she is looking for with him? A replacement for the parents she’s fallen out with? Someone who can, literally, take her places—an entertaining diversion from friends her own age? Does she see him as someone she can control, thanks to his attraction to her?
It is not my understanding that people always behave with clear motives. Brianna is an impulsive person; she acts without thinking of consequences. She leaves Cassidy precipitously, surprising him by being so decisive. But, in fact, she is behaving instinctively, to save herself, leaving in the way she left her friend in his apartment on the Lower East Side. The same way she will leave others in the future. In a way, Brianna basks in her own being, behaving as she does simply because she can—which is possibly typical of some young women of her generation. They are not children any longer but they behave in childish ways.
The standard narrative in relationships like this is that the older man has the wealth and power and calls the shots, and the younger woman enters into the affair willingfully but innocently and is damaged in some way by it. This story follows that trajectory up to a point, and then flips it. Did you know from the start that that would happen?
Yes, the destination was always the unflattering, deflating voice at the door saying, “Housekeeping”—suggesting a perfunctory sort of cleanup of a mess made by people like Cassidy and Brianna. The romantic/erotic adventure has ended, and now a maid appears. But Cassidy, the seemingly dominant male, is naked, exposed. Whatever happens to him, he deserves.
How do you feel about the ongoing debate about characters’ “likability”? Do they need to be likable in order to keep the reader interested in—and empathizing with—them?
It would never occur to me to measure fictional characters by their “likability”—that seems very limited, trite. I never read prose fiction expecting to “like”—or “dislike”—characters but, rather, to be surprised, moved to emotion of some kind, by a story that is unusual in some way. Does one “like” or “dislike” Macbeth, Raskolnikov, Captain Ahab, among countless others? Literature is a texture of words evoking life in the most vivid ways—psychologically, physically.
I am most powerfully drawn to places, settings. I want to see, hear, smell, “feel” the atmosphere of a place. The Jersey Shore in the off-season is one such place. The misfired adventure of “The Frenzy” is exactly appropriate to the off-season at the Jersey Shore. It is neither “likable” nor “unlikable.” Like a feeding frenzy, it just is. ♦
New Jersey
Easterseals New Jersey and Cross River Bank Rally to Support Residents Impacted by SNAP Benefit Delays Amid Government Shutdown
(JAMESBURG, NJ) — Easterseals New Jersey, a disability services nonprofit, and Cross River Bank, a technology infrastructure provider offering embedded financial solutions, have joined forces to assist hundreds of individuals and families who are experiencing partial or delayed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing federal funding impasse.
With over 827,000 New Jersey residents relying on SNAP, including many with disabilities, continuing federal funding shortfalls and processing delays are deepening food insecurity and placing additional strain on local support networks. This strategic partnership aims to bridge immediate food access gaps while delays persist.
“When benefit systems pause, people don’t stop needing groceries, transportation or care,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of Easterseals New Jersey. “This partnership with Cross River means we can act now.”
Easterseals New Jersey’s staff mobilized quickly to assess the needs of more than 4,000 program participants statewide and identify partners and resources to close emerging gaps. The team established a centralized resource hub linking residents to hundreds of food banks across all 21 counties and is directly coordinating with local vendors to prepare and distribute meals to those most affected. This swift response is particularly vital for individuals with disabilities, who already face heightened obstacles connected to employment, transportation, and access to care.
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Through Cross River’s charitable giving arm, Foundation@, the Bank donated $18,000 to Easterseals New Jersey to fund the purchase of ShopRite gift cards for their program participants who rely on SNAP benefits. The donation also includes the packing and distribution of food packages to additional residents affected by the ongoing government shutdown, helping ensure individuals and families continue to access essential groceries while federal operations stabilize.
“Our employees exemplify resilience. When faced with the SNAP benefits uncertainty, they responded with unwavering commitment and heart,” said Brian Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer of Easterseals New Jersey. “The passion our team brings to their work is matched only by the generosity of partners like Cross River Bank, whose support helps us meet urgent needs and empower those we serve to thrive even in times of crisis”.
Cross River has a history of providing aid in times of uncertainty. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank provided crucial funding to small businesses in need, providing 480,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaling more than $13 billion, saving more than 1.4 million jobs across the country.
“At Cross River, we believe that community is the foundation of everything we do,” said Miriam L. Wallach, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Cross River. “When uncertainty affects our neighbors’ ability to meet basic needs, we have a responsibility to step up. Through our partnership with Easterseals, we’re ensuring that families have access to nutritious food and the support they deserve.”
The collaboration combines Cross River’s deep-rooted devotion to community with Easterseals’ long-standing expertise in delivering essential human services, uniting both organizations around a shared dedication to promote stability, inclusion, and dignity for all New Jersey residents.
Easterseals New Jersey encourages anyone who wishes to support its mission to visit www.eastersealsnj.org and help ensure that no family is left behind during these periods of uncertainty.
For more than 75 years, Easterseals New Jersey has empowered people with disabilities and special needs to live independently and reach personal milestones with equality and dignity. Each year, nearly 4,000 New Jersey residents access services designed to foster independence and community integration.
Cross River provides technology infrastructure powering the future of financial services. Leveraging its proprietary real-time banking core, Cross River delivers innovative and scalable embedded payments, cards, lending, and crypto solutions to millions of consumers and businesses. Cross River is backed by leading investors and serves the world’s most essential fintech and technology companies. Leading the industry, Cross River is reshaping global finance and financial inclusion. Member FDIC.
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Westfield Garden State Plaza presents 8th Annual Big Santa Celebration and annual lighting ceremony on Saturday
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A New Production of Disney On Ice Brings an All-Star Cast of Over 50 Beloved Characters from Frozen, Encanto, Zootopia, Toy Story and more to Atlantic City
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Morven Museum & Garden’s Festival of Trees Celebrates 20th Anniversary
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A South Jersey family’s fight for justice continues more than one year after their son was shot while driving home from work. The road rage incident left 30-year-old Kishan Patel permanently disabled.
Now, a former New York Police Department officer is expected to spend a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to shooting Patel.
Patel has spent the last year in a specialized facility in Texas as a quadriplegic with limited brain function requiring around the clock care.
On Friday, May 17, 2024, police responded to a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 73 and Cooper Road in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. When they arrived, they found Kishan Patel, 30, of Voorhees, suffering from a gunshot wound. Patel was taken to the hospital for treatment.
After analyzing surveillance video, cellphone records and ballistics evidence, Voorhees Township Police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office identified Hieu Tran, 27, of Yonkers, New York, as the suspect in the shooting. Police said Tran – an officer with the New York City Police Department – used his department-issued firearm and shot Patel during an apparent road rage incident.
Investigators said Tran was off-duty at the time of the incident and had just left a wedding in the area. After the shooting, Tran “calmly drove north, stopped for gas, went home to New York, reloaded his weapon and went to work the next day,” according to attorneys for Patel’s family.
Investigators said shell casings at the crime scene matched Tran’s department-issued service weapon.
Attorney Joseph Marrone is representing the Patel family who filed a lawsuit against the city of New York alleging that the city knew the former officer had significant mental health challenges with longstanding alcoholism.
“It was known by his superiors and other officers and they did nothing,” Marrone said.
The New York City law department declined to comment but the NYPD confirmed that Tran was terminated from the department.
Tran pleaded guilty to attempted murder and is expected to be sentenced on Dec. 15.
Top priorities as governor
The governor-elect said as soon as she is sworn into office, she will freeze utility costs, but she did not offer any specifics.
“We’ve already had some conversations, I’ve already even during the campaign had some conversations with some of our utility companies, as well as working with some policy experts on exactly what money is coming in through the [Board of Public Utilities], and how it might be used to do that,” she said.
Sherrill said she will also work on a kids online safety agenda, join the lawsuit to push back on tariffs enacted by the Trump administration and begin work on the next state budget.
There are other front-burner issues she said she is planning to pursue.
“Expanding the first time home-buyers credits, so people can get their food in the door, taking on landlords who are colluding to drive up rental prices,” she said. “Taking on [pharmacy benefit managers], those are the middlemen in drug pricing to drive down drug costs.”
She said she will work to fix the state health benefits plan, improve third-grade reading scores across New Jersey’s schools and lower bloated school administration costs.
Working with Trump
Sherrill, who attacked President Donald Trump’s policies during the campaign, suggested she will put her differences aside and work with him to serve her constituents.
“We haven’t spoken yet, but certainly I’m going to be working very hard to get resources, federal resources back into New Jersey, to discuss and take on the Gateway Tunnel right away because that’s such a key issue and such an economic driver here,” Sherrill said.
On Oct. 16, Trump announced he canceled plans to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, but U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the project is still under review.
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