In We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates--one of the great figures in modern American fiction--explores a crisis in the life of a seemingly perfect American family...and the devastating consequences that follow. Get the most out of this enthralling novel with the help of this informative, illuminating Reader's Companion:

• Why do Marianne's parents banish her after she's raped?
• What have the Mulvaneys lost at the end of the novel? What have they gained?
• Why does Joyce Carol Oates consider We Were the Mulvaneys the novel closest to her heart?