The Candy House (novel)
![]() 2022 book jacket | |
Author | Jennifer Egan |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | April 5, 2022 |
ISBN | 978-1476716763 |
The Candy House is a novel by Jennifer Egan, published by Scribner's with a U.S. release date of April 5, 2022.[1][2][3][4][5]
Background and context
[edit]This novel is a sequel to Egan's 2010 novel A Visit From the Goon Squad. Many of the characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad return with an update to their stories, including having had children.[1][3][5]
Stories
[edit]- "The Affinity Charm": Bix Bouton, CEO of the social media company Mandala, is longing for a new tech innovation. He overhears that experiments are being done to externalize the memories of animals, which sparks an idea.
- "Case Study: No One Got Hurt": Alfred Hollander is obsessed with authenticity. He performs outlandish acts to elicit genuine reactions from strangers, causing strife with his family.
- "A Journey: A Stranger Comes to Town": Miles Hollander considers his life to be a failure, and Drew struggles with guilt over Rob's death. Their lives change when they meet.
- "Rhyme Scheme": Lincoln works for Mandala as a "counter", someone who analyzes data from users to predict their behavior. He tries to figure out how to get coworker M to fall in love with him.
- "The Mystery of Our Mother": Melora Kline recounts the family history of her anthropologist mother and absent father Lou.
- "What the Forest Remembers": Charlene Kline uses Mandala to explore the memories of her father Lou on a trip in the 1960s.
- "Bright Day": Roxy Kline, a recovering heroin addict, uploads her memories to Mandala and is ready to start a new life.
- "'i,' the Protagonist": Chris Salazar works complacently for a company that "algebraizes" stories to basic tropes. On a frustrating trip with a coworker, he finds a new direction in life.
- "The Perimeter: After": Molly Cooke, a teenager, experience tensions with her friends when new girl Lulu arrives.
- "Lulu the Spy, 2032": Lulu Kisarian works as a spy for the Citizen Agent program.
- "The Perimeter: Before": Hannah, Molly's sister, recounts her mother's feud with their neighbor Jules Jones.
- "See Below": A series of intersecting email threads between the large cast of the novel's characters.
- "Eureka Gold": Gregory Bouton, Bix's son, mourns his father's death.
- "Middle Son (Area of Detail)": As a child, Ames Hollander hits a surprise game-winning home run in a baseball game. The story quickly recounts events of his future, then returns to the triumphant moment of his home run.
Reception
[edit]According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 55 critic reviews, with 27 "raves", 13 "positive", 11 "mixed", and four "pans".[6]
Dwight Garner of The New York Times wrote:
Egan has a zonking sense of control; she knows where she's going and the polyphonic effects she wants to achieve, and she achieves them, as if she were writing on a type of MacBook that won't exist for another decade. The Candy House and Goon Squad are touchstone New York City and technology...novels of our time; they'll be printed in one volume someday, I suspect, by the Library of America.[1]
Kirkus Reviews said:
As she did in Goon Squad's PowerPoint chapter, Egan doles out information in small bites that accumulate to demonstrate the novel's time-honored strengths: richly complicated characters and compelling narratives...[and the novel is a] thrilling, endlessly stimulating work that demands to be read and reread.[5]
The novel was longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[7] Publishers Weekly named it one of the top ten works of fiction published in 2022.[8] It was also selected for The New York Times's "10 Best Books of 2022" list.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Garner, Dwight (29 March 2022). "In Jennifer Egan's New Novel, Our Memories Are Available for All to See". The New York Times.
- ^ Chow, Andrew R. (March 30, 2022). "Why Jennifer Egan Created a Future Without Privacy in 'The Candy House'". Time.
- ^ a b Charles, Ron (March 29, 2022). "Jennifer Egan's 'The Candy House' revisits the goon squad". The Washington Post.
- ^ Moiseieva, Anna (February 15, 2022). "'The Candy House' Review: A Brilliant Tale Exploring the Human Side of Technology". The Harvard Crimson.
- ^ a b c ""The Candy House" book review | Kirkus Reviews".
- ^ "The Candy House". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "2023 Winners". American Library Association. October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "Best Books 2022: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2022". The New York Times. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Author website
- Book Marks. Collected reviews for "The Candy House." March 30, 2022
- Jennifer Egan introduces her new novel, The Candy House. Video. YouTube. March 30,2022.
- Character map of The Candy House