A Fair Maiden

A Fair Maiden is a 2010 novella[1] by Joyce Carol Oates that chronicles the relationship between teenage nanny Katya Spivak and the much older, affluent artist Marcus Kidder.

[2] While walking her employers' two children, sixteen year-old nanny Katya Spivak is approached by an old man, Marcus Kidder, who seems to take an interest in her.

Mr. Kidder invites Katya to his house, and though the initial visits seem harmless, their relationship gradually develops into something of a darker nature.

[4] Elizabeth Day in The Guardian said the book was a "disappointment" and that Oates had not succeeded in her effort to rework the themes of Lolita.

[2] Wendy Brandmark of The Independent noted some "fine moments" in the book but thought it was "too controlled".