A review by andrewspink
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I found this to be a difficult and complicated book, but nevertheless with enough depth and interest to make it worth reading. There are 14 different stories, all told from different points of view and set either in the past or the future. Some have clear connections with each other, for example with some of the same characters, but with others it was harder to see how they belonged. That was what I found difficult. Sometimes I was not quite sure if I was missing something connecting the story. What was quite fun was the use of different genres in the different stories. The philosophical points about the dangers of sharing too much personal information with social media are well made, and a what, for me, raises this book above just a collection of stories to become a heavier weight piece of work.