Joyce Carol Oates, celebrated American literary figure and author of best-sellers such as "Blonde" and "We Were the Mulvaneys", weaves a dark, obscure, and deeply disturbing tale of love in her 2010 novel, "A Fair Maiden". Set in the upscale seaside community of Bayhead Harbor, New Jersey, "A Fair Maiden" chronicles the bizarre relationship that develops between 16-year-old Katya Spivak, a nanny hired for the summer by the wealthy Engelhardt family, and 68-year-old Marcus Kidder, a well-known resident, retired children's book author, and aspiring composer and painter. 

As Oates writes in her opening line, "Innocently it began", Katya and Marcus meet by chance while the young nanny is out on a leisurely walk with the Engelhardt's two small children, and the pair begin what appears, at first, to be a harmless friendship between a teenage girl and an elderly gentleman.

Katya, being the product of an alcoholic mother with a gambling problem and a father who deserted his wife and children years earlier, is both strangely drawn to and highly repulsed by Marcus, his rather inappropriate initial gift to her, and his belief that they are "soul mates". Nevertheless, after the affluent Marcus loans Katya the money she needs in order to help her mother repay her gambling debts, she somewhat reluctantly agrees to allow him to paint her portrait. As Katya continues to pose for Marcus and receives ever-increasing payment for doing so, the relationship between them intensifies. Only then does she learn his true intentions for her and the meaning behind his mysterious notion that she is, in Oates's character's words, "A fair maiden - to be entrusted with a crucial task. For which she would be handsomely rewarded, in time."

Throughout "A Fair Maiden", Oates provides the reader with a glimpse into Katya's dysfunctional family life in her hometown of Vineland, New Jersey, and vivid descriptions of the unhealthy relationship she shares with her on-again, off-again 22-year-old boyfriend, Roy. As a result, it is easy to understand why Katya craves the type of love, attention, and money that Marcus Kidder so generously offers her, despite the fact that both before and after he reveals his reason for courting her, she remains conflicted in her feelings toward him. On the other hand, Oates leaves several of the novel's most pressing questions unanswered and consequently, it is difficult to discern who is manipulating whom, and whether or not Marcus is truly guilty of the one act that prompts Katya to take action against him.

In essence, "A Fair Maiden" is an engaging, yet unsettling story about desire, manipulation, and the lengths that we, as humans beings, will sometimes go to in order to love and be loved. Joyce Carol Oates remains secure in her position as a master storyteller, and while "A Fair Maiden" might not be considered her best work to date, it is a shining example of why Oates continues to rank high on the list of America's literary elite.