Listed as one of the year's most anticipated books by BuzzFeed, Vulture, Parade, Bustle, San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, Tampa Bay Times, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Oprah Daily, Glamour, USA TODAY, Parade, and Bustle
"A gripping read showcasing Egan's exquisite storytelling." —Date
"Amazing." —Vogue
"Exciting, radiant." —Stone
"Enthralling...A thought-provoking examination of how and why we change.” People
A book about the memory and the search for authenticity and human connection, described by Oprah Daily as "inventive, effervescent," comes from one of the most renowned authors of our day.
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. In addition to being a thought-provoking work of literature, The Candy House is a poignant illustration of the universal human need for love, family, connection, and seclusion.
“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).