Book
The candy house : a novel / Jennifer Egan.
"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 40, with four kids, restless, 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. It's 2010. Within a decade, Bix's new technology, "Own Your Unconscious"-that allows you access to every memory you've ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others-has seduced multitudes. But not everyone. In spellbinding interlocking narratives, Egan spins out the consequences of Own Your Unconscious through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. Intellectually dazzling, The Candy House is also extraordinarily moving, a testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy and redemption. 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. If Goon Squad was organized like a concept album, The Candy House incorporates Electronic Dance Music's more disjunctive approach. The parts are titled: Build, Break, Drop. With an emphasis on gaming, portals, and alternate worlds, its structure also suggests the experience of moving among dimensions in a role-playing game. The Candy House is a bold, brilliant imagining of a world that is moments away. Egan takes to stunning new heights her "deeply intuitive forays into the darker aspects of our technology-driven, image-saturated culture" (Vogue). The Candy House delivers an absolutely extraordinary combination of fierce, exhilarating intelligence and heart"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781476716763 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 334 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Scribner, 2022.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Memory > Fiction. Social media > Fiction. Technology > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Psychological fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | FIC Egan | 31681010271476 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"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 40, with four kids, restless, 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. It's 2010. Within a decade, Bix's new technology, "Own Your Unconscious"-that allows you access to every memory you've ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others-has seduced multitudes. But not everyone. In spellbinding interlocking narratives, Egan spins out the consequences of Own Your Unconscious through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. Intellectually dazzling, The Candy House is also extraordinarily moving, a testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy and redemption. 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 ofnarrative styles-from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter and a chapter of tweets. If Goon Squad was organized like a concept album, The Candy House incorporates Electronic Dance Music's more disjunctive approach.The parts are titled: Build, Break, Drop. With an emphasis on gaming, portals, and alternate worlds, its structure also suggests the experience of moving among dimensions in a role-playing game. The Candy House is a bold, brilliant imagining of a world that is moments away. Egan takes to stunning new heights her "deeply intuitive forays into the darker aspects of our technology-driven, image-saturated culture" (Vogue). The Candy House delivers an absolutely extraordinary combination of fierce, exhilarating intelligence and heart"-- - Baker & Taylor
Told through lives of multiple characters, this electrifying, deeply moving novel, spanning 10 years, follows âOwn Your Unconscious,â a new technology that allows access to every memory youâve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for success to the memories of others. Simultaneous. - Simon and Schuster
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Selected as One of Barack Obamaâs Summer 2022 Reading List Picks!
*Named a Best Book of 2022 So Far by The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Harperâs Bazaar, NPR, Oprah Daily, Real Simple, Time, Vogue, and Vulture! * Named a Best Book of 2022 by Publishers Weekly! *
âA compelling read that showcases Eganâs masterful storytelling.â âTime
âDazzling.â âVogue
âRadiant, exhilarating.â âSlate
âMesmerizingâ¦A thought-provoking examination of how and why we change.â âPeople
From one of the most celebrated writers of our time comes an âinventive, effervescentâ (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 âone of those tech demi-gods with whom weâre all on a first name basis.â 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 âexternalizingâ memory. Within a decade, Bixâs new technology, âOwn Your Unconsciousââwhich allows you access to every memory youâve ever had, and to share your memories in exchange for access to the memories of othersâhas seduced multitudes.
In the world of Eganâs spectacular imagination, there are âcountersâ who track and exploit desires and there are âeluders,â those who understand the price of taking a bite of the Candy House. Egan introduces these characters in an astonishing array of narrative stylesâfrom 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 testament to the tenacity and transcendence of human longing for connection, family, privacy, and love.
âA beautiful exploration of loss, memory, and historyâ (San Francisco Chronicle), âthis is minimalist maximalism. Itâs as if Egan compressed a big 19th-century novel onto a flash driveâ (The New York Times).
