Jennifer Egan's new novel The Candy House, ostensibly a "sequel" to her tour-de-force A Visit From the Goon Squad, reminds us that "knowing everything is too much like knowing nothing"-- the book is certainly a wild ride, dipping into the consciousness of all sort of tangentially related characters-- but in the end, like eating too much candy, you will be cloyed but unsatisfied-- and that is Egan's purpose, of course-- as she is a super-genius . . . and this was a tough We Defy Augury episode to make because this book is more like a social network than a narrative-- it took all my brain cells to hold it together.
4 comments:
I read Goon Squad at your suggestion and enjoyed it greatly so I'll check out Candy House too.
I started Harlem Shuffle, another SoD recommendation I believe, and it's good. You're batting 1.000 with me on books.
harlem shuffle (and underground railroad by whitehead) is dope.
nice! maybe avoid "tristram shandy." i love it, but it's a knuckleball.
you should probably listen to my podcast before you read "candy house", so you get it.
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