Scan barcode
A review by jasonfurman
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
5.0
Phenomenally varied and exciting writing, vivid characters and scenes, all around an interesting set of themes about social media, privacy, and memory. The Candy House is a sequel of sorts to [b:A Visit from the Goon Squad|7331435|A Visit from the Goon Squad|Jennifer Egan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356844046l/7331435._SX50_.jpg|8975330], sharing several of the same characters with some references to the previous book. But you do not need to have read A Visit from the Goon Squad (although you should, it was fantastic, in some ways better and more coherent than The Candy House), in fact I only really remembered two characters (Sasha, a kleptomaniac, and Bennie Salazar, a record producer) and one rock band (the Conduits) from it.
There were places in The Candy House where I got a little lost about the connections between the characters, whose perspective it was, or where it fit into the chronology. But mostly I followed it or it did not matter since most of the chapters worked as standalone short stories--but stories that were greatly enriched by the links between them and the broader world, family relations, and narrative it created.
At times, however, I was not really sure I understood the logic of how the different pieces were placed (something that was more clear in the Goon Squad) and I ddi not understand at all whey the book ended where it did, so much seemed unresolved and I would happily have read more. Maybe we'll get a third book?
There were places in The Candy House where I got a little lost about the connections between the characters, whose perspective it was, or where it fit into the chronology. But mostly I followed it or it did not matter since most of the chapters worked as standalone short stories--but stories that were greatly enriched by the links between them and the broader world, family relations, and narrative it created.
At times, however, I was not really sure I understood the logic of how the different pieces were placed (something that was more clear in the Goon Squad) and I ddi not understand at all whey the book ended where it did, so much seemed unresolved and I would happily have read more. Maybe we'll get a third book?