Exploitation of JonBenet, albiet indirect

As summed up be the Times Online today - This is - perhaps inevitably - a harsh book, written without pity or sentimentality. The Rampikes are not the Ramseys; but Oates has used the tragic events that happened to them to produce a savage commentary on lives very like theirs. She has also “solved” the murder, coming up with a solution that makes sense of Skyler's agonised self-loathing but seems likely to cause further grief to surviving members of the Ramsey family. Some readers might consider that too high a price to pay for this cold, clever and ultimately parasitic novel.