Sexy is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...

. First published in 2005, it is her third book written for young adults.

Plot summary

In Sexy, Oates moves into the volatile territory of raging hormones, budding sexuality, and the expectations foisted upon teenagers as they come of age. She asks readers to think about how trust is earned, then broken; how sometimes loyalty seems like an abstract notion; how friendship is tested in times of crisis; and how rumors can poison the lives of the innocent.

The story is about Darren Flynn, a sixteen-year-old high school student who is also a local hero as he moves from adolescence into manhood. "Being a swimmer [and] a promising diver, [he had] advanced to the varsity team at the end of his sophomore year. People began to say how good looking he was … girls liked to say … [he] was sexy, but shy." No one would question that "he was a guy's guy … unmistakably a jock." And up until a snowy Thursday he was happy, popular, full of self-esteem and an overall good kid.

Controversy

The novel is quite controversial as "Teen Lit" because of its themes of pedophilia

Pedophilia

As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...

, homosexuality

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

, and pre-marital sex, and its usage of the words "shit" and "fuck." Several religious groups tried, unsuccessfully, to have it banned.