Carthage

Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates is a gripping psychological thriller set in the small town of Carthage, New York, where the Mayfield family unravels after their troubled daughter Cressida disappears in a nearby wilderness preserve. The story centers on war veteran Brett Kincaid, ex-fiancé of Cressida’s sister Juliet, who confesses to her murder amid fragmented PTSD memories from Iraq, though her body is never found, sparking a deep exploration of guilt, family dysfunction, and fractured identities. Oates masterfully dissects the emotional toll on all involved, revealing Cressida’s impulsive reinvention of herself far away and probing themes of violence, forgiveness, and the lingering scars of war across nearly seven years.