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bookabecca 's review for:
The Marriage Plot
by Jeffrey Eugenides
As my friend, Monique, said, "If Jeffrey Eugenides continues to take 9 years to write a novel, I'm OK with that if they're this good."
Now I'll begin by saying that this is no Middlesex, so don't bother trying to make the comparison -- you'll be disappointed. (And yet, here I am about to make the comparison...it's inevitable.) The plot in this novel is much more mundane. It is, in short, a love triangle, a literal marriage plot. In fact, Eugenides admits this almost-cliche approach through the title (obviously) but also through one of the character's admission that she loves him, but he loves someone else, who loves someone else. He's playing with this timeless plot, and it works.
Amazingly, it is still an incredibly riveting read. I couldn't put it down and read it cover to cover over a long weekend, something I rarely do. Eugenides is brilliant at using forward tilt in his novels. You just can't wait to see what happens next because you get incredibly invested in these characters.
My favorite passages of writing in this novel had to do with exploring mental illness, particularly manic depression. Eugenides allows us to see the disease from all perspectives and the ways the characters try to rationalize it, "fix" it, and finally come to terms with it. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.
Now I'll begin by saying that this is no Middlesex, so don't bother trying to make the comparison -- you'll be disappointed. (And yet, here I am about to make the comparison...it's inevitable.) The plot in this novel is much more mundane. It is, in short, a love triangle, a literal marriage plot. In fact, Eugenides admits this almost-cliche approach through the title (obviously) but also through one of the character's admission that she loves him, but he loves someone else, who loves someone else. He's playing with this timeless plot, and it works.
Amazingly, it is still an incredibly riveting read. I couldn't put it down and read it cover to cover over a long weekend, something I rarely do. Eugenides is brilliant at using forward tilt in his novels. You just can't wait to see what happens next because you get incredibly invested in these characters.
My favorite passages of writing in this novel had to do with exploring mental illness, particularly manic depression. Eugenides allows us to see the disease from all perspectives and the ways the characters try to rationalize it, "fix" it, and finally come to terms with it. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.