In other words, if you must be a criminal, but the best one you can be. Much like prison inmates who, though guilty of their own crimes, will pass harsh judgment on child molesters, Abraham Licht creates a world in which he and his family are the norm. Deviation from that norm is excised like a bad tooth. Elisha, who has the misfortune of falling in love with his adopted sister, is discouraged from marrying her because he is black. Life at the epicenter of the criminal world has its rules, although the way its players draw the line in the sand can be bizarre at best.
Oates plays a kind of shell game with good and evil.
Her literary sleight of hand makes it hard to tell which is which. The message is cynical, but it leaves no doubt as to why our lives turn out as they do. You can buy this book online at Barnes and Noble.