Welcome to the Consciousness Collective
Imagine a world where you could access every memory you’ve ever had – the taste of your first ice cream cone, the nervousness of your first kiss, the ache of your first heartbreak. Now imagine you could share those memories with others, and in return, peek into their minds as well. Sounds enticing, right? A candy house of endless delights. But as the old fairy tale warns us, be careful what you wish for.
Jennifer Egan’s “The Candy House” takes this tantalizing premise and runs wild with it, crafting a sprawling, ambitious novel that serves as both sequel and companion to her Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Visit from the Goon Squad.” Like its predecessor, “The Candy House” is less a traditional novel than a series of interconnected stories, each one a perfectly crafted gem that combines to form a dazzling mosaic of human experience in the digital age.
The Goon Squad Returns (Sort Of)
For fans of “Goon Squad,” diving into “The Candy House” feels a bit like attending a high school reunion – familiar faces pop up in unexpected places, and you find yourself frantically flipping back through your mental yearbook trying to place them. Remember Bix, the awkward grad student obsessed with early social media? He’s now a tech mogul on par with Zuckerberg or Musk. And Sasha, the kleptomaniac assistant? She’s reinvented herself as an artist in the desert.
But don’t worry if you haven’t read “Goon Squad” – “The Candy House” stands on its own merits. Egan provides just enough context to orient new readers without bogging down the narrative with exposition. That said, having the background definitely enriches the experience. It’s like getting the inside jokes at that reunion.
A Technological Pandora’s Box
At the heart of the novel is “Own Your Unconscious,” a technology developed by Bix Bouton that allows people to upload their memories to a “collective consciousness” and access the memories of others who’ve done the same. It’s social media on steroids, promising ultimate connection and understanding. But as with all technological advances, there are unforeseen consequences.
Egan explores these consequences through a kaleidoscope of characters and perspectives. We meet:
- “Counters” who mine the collective consciousness for data
- “Eluders” who refuse to participate and go off the grid
- Parents grappling with their children’s digital footprints
- Spies and double agents in a world where thoughts are no longer private
Each story adds a new layer to our understanding of this brave new world, building a complex picture of a society grappling with issues of privacy, authenticity, and human connection.
A Virtuoso Display of Literary Gymnastics
One of the joys of reading Egan is her sheer versatility as a writer. In “The Candy House,” she flexes those muscles to the max, employing a dizzying array of narrative styles:
- Traditional third-person narration
- First-person plural (“we” narration)
- An epistolary chapter told through emails
- A chapter composed entirely of tweets
- A “field guide” to authenticating human behavior
It could come across as gimmicky in less skilled hands, but Egan pulls it off with aplomb. Each stylistic choice feels purposeful, adding depth to the characters and their world. The tweet chapter, for instance, perfectly captures the fragmented, attention-deficit nature of online discourse.
Themes That Will Haunt You
While “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan is undeniably a work of speculative fiction, its themes are deeply rooted in our present reality. Egan probes at the big questions of our digital age:
- What is the value of privacy in a world of oversharing?
- How does technology change the way we relate to each other and ourselves?
- Is total transparency really desirable, or do we need our secrets?
- What is the nature of authenticity when we can curate our online personas?
These aren’t just abstract philosophical musings – Egan grounds them in deeply human stories of love, loss, and the search for connection. The result is a book that’s both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.
The Price of a Bite
One of the most compelling threads running through the novel is the idea of consequences. Every technological advance comes with a cost, and Egan is unsparing in her examination of the downsides of “Own Your Unconscious.”
We see relationships strained by the weight of total knowledge, privacy advocates driven to extremes, and the emergence of a new underclass of those who refuse or can’t afford to participate in the collective consciousness. It’s a stark reminder that progress isn’t always straightforward, and that every candy house has its witch.
Characters That Linger
Despite the novel’s fragmented structure, Egan manages to create characters that feel fully realized and deeply human. Standouts include:
- Bix Bouton, the brilliant but restless tech entrepreneur
- Lulu, the conflicted spy struggling with her role in the new world order
- Lincoln, a data miner grappling with the ethics of his work
- Molly, a teenager navigating first love in the age of total transparency
Each character offers a unique perspective on the central themes of the book, and their stories intertwine in surprising and satisfying ways.
The Power of the Unsaid
One of Egan’s greatest strengths as a writer is her ability to convey volumes in what she doesn’t say. There are gaps in the narrative, ellipses in conversations, memories intentionally left unshared. These spaces invite the reader to fill in the blanks, making us active participants in the storytelling process.
It’s a clever parallel to one of the book’s central ideas – that what we choose not to share can be just as important as what we do. In a world of total information, the ability to keep secrets becomes a radical act.
A Mirror to Our Times
While “The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan is set in a speculative near-future, it feels unnervingly prescient. Egan began writing the book before the COVID-19 pandemic, but many of its themes – isolation, the double-edged sword of technology, the hunger for connection – have only become more relevant in our post-pandemic world.
The novel serves as a kind of funhouse mirror to our current reality, exaggerating and distorting familiar elements to reveal deeper truths. It’s a testament to Egan’s skill as a writer that she can make us see our world anew through this slightly skewed lens.
Not Without Its Flaws
For all its brilliance, “The Candy House” isn’t a perfect novel. Its fragmented structure can be disorienting at times, and some readers may find themselves wishing for a more traditional narrative arc. A few of the stylistic experiments don’t quite land, and there are moments when the technological speculation threatens to overshadow the human drama.
But these are minor quibbles in the face of Egan’s ambition and skill. Even when it stumbles, “The Candy House” is never less than fascinating.
The Verdict: A Must-Read for Our Times
“The Candy House” by Jennifer Egan is a novel that will stick with you long after you’ve turned the final page. It’s a book that demands to be discussed, debated, and returned to. Egan has crafted a work that is at once a gripping story, a prescient warning, and a profound meditation on what it means to be human in the digital age.
If you enjoyed “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” you’ll find much to love here. But even if you’re new to Jennifer Egan’s work, “The Candy House” offers a rich, rewarding reading experience. Just be prepared – you may find yourself looking at your smartphone a little differently afterward.
For Fans of Thought-Provoking Speculative Fiction
If “The Candy House” whets your appetite for more mind-bending explorations of technology and humanity, you might also enjoy:
- “The Circle” by Dave Eggers
- “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro
- “The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood
- “Black Mirror” (TV series created by Charlie Brooker)
About the Author
Jennifer Egan is the author of six previous books of fiction: Manhattan Beach, winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction; A Visit from the Goon Squad, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; The Keep; the story collection Emerald City; Look at Me, a National Book Award Finalist; and The Invisible Circus.
Final Thoughts
In “The Candy House,” Egan has given us a novel that is both timely and timeless. It’s a book that grapples with the most pressing issues of our digital age while never losing sight of the eternal human questions of love, identity, and connection. It’s a candy house worth stepping into – just remember to leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind you.