The Candy House

A Novel

By: Jennifer Egan

Narrated by: Michael Boatman, Nicole Lewis, Thomas Sadoski, Colin Donnell, Griffin Newman, Rebecca Lowman, Jackie Sanders, Lucy Liu, Christian Barillas, Tara Lynne Barr, Alex Allwine, Emily Tremaine, Kyle Beltran, Dan Bittner, Chris Henry Coffey

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE of the TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR by THE NEW YORK TIMES * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * SLATE* THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER *

Also named one of the BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by Vanity Fair, Time, NPR, The Guardian, Oprah Daily, Self, Vogue, The New Yorker, BBC, Vulture, and many more!

OLIVIA WILDE to direct A24's TV adaptation of THE CANDY HOUSE and A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD!

From one of the most celebrated writers of our time comes an “inventive, effervescent” (Oprah Daily) novel about the memory and quest for authenticity and human connection.

The Candy House opens with the staggeringly brilliant Bix Bouton, whose company, Mandala, is so successful that he is “one of those tech demi-gods with whom we’re all on a first name basis.” Bix is forty, with four kids, restless, and desperate for a new idea, when he stumbles into a conversation group, mostly Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or “externalizing” memory. Within a decade, Bix’s new technology, “Own Your Unconscious”—which allows you access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share your memories in exchange for access to the memories of others—has seduced multitudes.

In the world of Egan’s spectacular imagination, there are “counters” who track and exploit desires and there are “eluders,” those who understand the price of taking a bite of the Candy House. Egan introduces these characters in an astonishing array of narrative styles—from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter, and a chapter of tweets. Intellectually dazzling, The Candy House is also a moving, speculative fiction testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for connection, family, privacy, and love.

“A beautiful exploration of loss, memory, and history” (San Francisco Chronicle), “this is minimalist maximalism. It’s as if Egan compressed a big 19th-century novel onto a flash drive” (The New York Times).

Critic reviews

"The ensemble performance of this novel is exceptional. Michael Boatman narrates the opening chapter at the right pace with the right intonation. He captures the interior life of the enigmatic Bix Boughton, a social media genius who invents the world-altering technology “Own Your Unconscious,” which is crucial to the plot. Alex Allwine delivers a haunting automaton-like second-person narration of the chapter titled “Lulu the Spy, 2032,” Tyra Lynne Barr emulates the chirpy sound of 13-year-old Molly in “The Perimeter After-Molly,” and Dan Bittner supplies sharply insightful tone as Ames, whose life story ends this imaginative tour de force. The time-traveling chapters reprise some of the characters from Egan’s award-winning VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, but this novel has a wider timeframe, a greater trajectory, and a more complex plot."

Stunning

Egan makes me think of Faulkner and García Márquez in her creation of her own universe of reappearing characters and she keeps writing novels I wish I could write. I finished this book experiencing goosebumps and tears because I hate to part with it.

stunning

typical Jennifer Egan, which is to say a kaleidoscope of staggering complexity, fascination and beauty. think kaleidescope in every good sense of that word... interconnected, compelling, impossible to put down, more clarity and beauty with every turn.

Too many characters

I’ve stopped many times to google character connections. Hoping for a family tree so to speak. Just confusing. No ending.
Loved Goon Squad all those years ago. Not this one.

Scattered

I listened to this book twice. Maybe reading would have been better. It jumps from past to present to future so quickly and characters are all interwoven but not in an obvious manner. It’s hard to connect the dots of the Tory when listening. Story is well told but plot is all over the place. There are underlying themes of family, friendship, betrayal, and privacy, but no overarching theme that I could define. I was left wanting to finish this mess of stories.

Virtuoso Writing / Terrific Ensemble Narration

For those who enjoyed Goon Squad, this is required reading. And for those who haven’t read both, you really should.

Egan has a genius for drawing connections in time and among engrossing characters that is a joy to decipher. True, you have to put some thought into it. This is not a passive reading or listening experience. But if you do, you’ll be richly rewarded.

The ensemble cast of narrators really enhances the listening experience too. With so many characters to keep sorted, the frequent narrator changes prove both helpful and entertaining.