We Were the Mulvaneys

We Were the Mulvaneys
First edition
AuthorJoyce Carol Oates
LanguageEnglish
PublisherDutton (HB) & G. P. Putnam's Sons (PB)
Publication date
1996
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Pages454 pp
ISBN0-525-94223-8
OCLC34590958
813/.54 20
LC ClassPS3565.A8 W4 1996

We Were the Mulvaneys is a novel written by Joyce Carol Oates, and was published in 1996. We Were the Mulvaneys was featured in Oprah's Book Club in January 2001.

The novel chronicles the Mulvaneys, a seemingly perfect family living in the small, rural town of Mt. Ephraim, New York, during the latter part of the 20th century. The Mulvaneys own a successful roofing business, and are obsessed with social status. However, an incident that is hushed up in town and never spoken of again shatters the family fabric and has tragic consequences.