A review by time4reading
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

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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