Editorial Content for Evil Genius

In an author's note at the end of EVIL GENIUS, Claire Oshetsky notes that one of the inspirations for the novel is John Cheever's short story, "The Five-Forty-Eight." As Oshetsky writes, the book is intended "to put a weapon in Ms. Dent's hand," to flip the script and transform a woman from a passive victim into someone capable not only of defending herself but of becoming the heroine of her own story.

I've never read this Cheever work. Although I know he's a master of the form, I find it hard to believe that Oshetsky's utterly delightful and fascinating novel that arose from this source doesn't at least live up to (if not outshine) its inspiration.

"EVIL GENIUS is both wickedly dark and decidedly funny.... Much of the humor arises from Celia's deadpan narrative voice... This is a fantastically entertaining portrait of an unforgettable character."

In EVIL GENIUS, Ms. Dent is Celia, a 19-year-old who recently married Drew, a much older man who seduced her when she was 17 and he was a nurse to her dying mother. The two live outside of San Francisco, in what now would be called Silicon Valley. But since Celia's story is set largely in 1974, those days are still in the future. In Celia's world, she lives in a sleepy suburb, in the house she grew up in and inherited when her mother died. She commutes on the train each day to downtown San Francisco and her job in the billing department of the telephone company.

Celia has been trained to show no pity for the customers who call in to beg for leniency on their telephone bill. Her supervisor advises her to "rip their lips" and shut down the conversation if people's excuses for nonpayment go on too long. This work has given her a tough shell when she needs one, but she remains much less strong-willed when it comes to dealing with Drew. Drew isn't abusive, exactly (or at least Celia has convinced herself of that, though readers may come to a different conclusion), but he is undeniably controlling. Among other things, he's aware of a secret from Celia's childhood that he holds over her like an axe. She consistently turns down drinks with her co-workers, knowing full well that a late arrival at home will result in verbal or physical attacks by her husband.

Still a teenager, Celia is often very childlike in her outlook and affect (not to mention her appearance; she's repeatedly told by other characters that she resembles a child). She maintains an extensive Barbie doll collection, and one starts to suspect that Drew is taking advantage of her youth and naivete. But a switch flips when a manager at the phone company, Vivienne Bianco, is shot dead by her husband after she's found in bed with another one of Celia's colleagues, Randall Smiley. Randall lives to tell the (rather colorful) tale, but something about this account of domestic violence and revenge starts the wheels in Celia's mind turning. One day on her lunch break, she goes to a pawn shop and picks up a vintage knife or two.

Narrated by a much older Celia, who, as the novel progresses, begins to insert her wisdom and perspective gained through hindsight, EVIL GENIUS is both wickedly dark and decidedly funny. Much of the humor arises from Celia's deadpan narrative voice, which is both matter-of-fact and colorful, such as when she describes her lawyer: "I could tell Mr. Petrocelli was the genuine article, not just because of his stylish fringed cowboy wear but also because he sported muttonchop whiskers."

But what could have been a straightforward satire of the confessional true-crime genre is actually much more profound, not only because it's punctuated with genuine moments of reflection but also because it shows a woman taking charge of her life just when the circumstances of history were making it possible for her to do so. This is a fantastically entertaining portrait of an unforgettable character.