Joyce Carol Oates

I've only recently discovered Joyce Carol Oates, even though I've known of her for decades. Can't tell what prompted me to read her work now. She is probably the most prolific writer alive with, I believe, forty novels to her credit, plus short story anthologies, essays, and plays. She's a Gemini, for those interested in the astrological sign of the authors they read. I didn't know that until after I started reading her stuff. Seems I gravitate to Gemini writers.
The book that I found particularly intriguing is The Falls. Oates has a way of drawing the reader in with unusual characters in unusual situations. In The Falls a young man commits suicide by jumping into Niagara Falls on his wedding night, while his wife is asleep. Didn't he ever hear of annulment or divorce? Seriously, it wouldn't have made a difference given the time he lived and who he was. The novel never strays from being engaging, intriguing. Oates takes risks with the plot that worked for me. There is one scene, however, that I'd love to discuss with someone else who's read this work. This book is perfect for a book club, if I belonged to one, which I don't. In Florida, the book clubs I find meet too early in the day for me.
The mood of The Falls is dark, brooding. Yet it surprises constantly and satisfies at the end. I won't go into plot beyond telling the opening scene.
I just finished Beasts by Joyce Carol Oates, a small novella with more characters behaving strangely, but so believably. Oates has complete confidence that the reader will "buy" the people she creates. I have absolutely no trouble suspending any disbelief when reading her work. For me there isn't much disbelief to suspend. After all, I've conquered One Dimensional living.