Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Candy House

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The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

9 reviews

asodl123's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've been a fan of Egan since being assigned A Visit from the Goon Squad in my college American Lit course for reasons beyond my comprehension. Her way with language and plays with time and genre fascinate me immensely, and The Candy House is no exception.

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peanutporridge's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rachaelwho's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Good. Would have liked a little more story from a little fewer characters. Lulu's excellent passage felt a little lifted from Carmen Maria Machado, which feels like an odd thing to say about Jennifer Egan so maybe I'm mistaken but...

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bethtuba's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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alysereadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Really enjoyed this book and reminded me why I love literary fiction. The whole premise of downloading and externalizing your consciousness was so intriguing, and felt realistic in a jarring way. The switching of the narration and overall tone of the book was difficult to follow at times, but allowed deeper exploration into the ethical consequences of such technological advancement. Had me thinking for a long time after and may reread.

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Despite having the subtitle "A Novel," this book is actually a collection of short stories...they are all set in the same world and some of the characters have cameos in multiple stories, but other than that, each story could be read on its own, or out of order. It was confusing to me at first, because I kept expecting to return to the first story, and then the second, etc., but once I understood that they were short stories, I actually enjoyed the book more.

Maybe I would've understood it more if I'd read the Goon Squad book first? Not sure, but I loved some of the stories, found others boring, didn't like some of them. I think my favorite was the one written entirely via letters. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters that are presented, though most of them make questionable decisions and aren't very likable.

I did really appreciate the commentary on memories and social media and just how much of yourself you're willing to share with strangers. A lot of food for thought. I mean, if you could upload all your memories online and be able to access them at any time, and actually watch them as you experienced them, like a movie, but they would also be available for anyone in the world to watch them, would you do it?

Thanks as always to Libro.fm, Simon and Schuster Audio, and the author for my ALC.

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nevawink's review against another edition

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5.0

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whatellisreadnext's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If I knew this was a sequel, I could have read A Visit From the Goon Squad and maybe enjoyed this a bit more. This book just did too much. It had way too many characters, which worked in To Paradise and How High We Go In The Dark, but in The Candy House I was just left confused the majority of the time. I preferred certain parts to others, and I do think this did some interesting things, but just as I was getting to know a character, they were gone and I was forced to start from square one with somebody new.

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time4reading's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok…social media has become so embedded in our lives that it’s hard to remember what life was like before they were around. It may also be hard to imagine what might come next, but that’s exactly what Jennifer Egan has done in The Candy House.

Populated by characters either directly from or related to those from Egan’s pre-social media novel “A Visit from the Goon Squad”, The Candy House explores a near future world in which the next big thing is a technology called “Own Your Unconscious” and it asks us to really consider the Faustian bargain we’ve made with the technology that’s inextricably woven into our lives. Where will it end?

Labelled as a “sibling novel to A Visit from the Goon Squad”, The Candy House is a series of linked stories each focused on a different character. Many of these characters will be familiar to readers of the Goon Squad or are related to them but it’s not necessary to have read that book. While this isn’t usually my favourite structure for a book–largely because I become attached to characters and their stories and am loath to leave them to follow someone new–in The Candy House, it works. A bit player in one chapter often becomes the lead in the next which makes the transition easier; as a reader, you can connect the dots. And slowly, bit by bit, as each puzzle piece is explored, the full picture of what’s going on becomes clearer.

I love Egan’s writing. It’s clever, easy to digest, and drily amusing. As with Goon Squad, the characterization is wonderfully observed: wryly, pointedly, poignantly. Characters have their foibles but also their strengths. They seem real and I came to care about them.

But, although there is humour, The Candy House asks deep, serious questions about our world and the times ahead. It asks us to think about technology and authenticity, wealth and power and fame, relationships, and more.

I really enjoyed The Candy House: it was great reading and very thought-provoking. It’s heart-warming and also incredibly chilling. I’ve put it onto the list I’m keeping of books that I think might show up on prize lists later in the year. Like an excellent wine, The Candy House is smooth, dry, and sneaks up on you. Highly recommend.

Review based on an ARC I received from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

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