The Candy House
by Jennifer Egan· 2022
A tale about ‘externalised’ memory, seductive technologies, and the deeply human quest for real connection, unfolding through a myriad of interlinked narratives, The Candy House features characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad. It is a novel about the quest for authenticity, privacy, and meaning in a world where our memories are no longer our own.
It's 2010. Tech entrepreneur Bix Bouton is desperate for a new idea. He's forty, with four kids, and restless when he stumbles into a conversation with Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or 'externalising' 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 every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others—has gained multitudes of users.
In linked narratives, the consequences of Own Your Unconscious are explored through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. These characters are introduced in an array of styles—from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter, and a chapter of tweets. In this world, 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.
With a focus on social media, gaming, and alternate worlds, the novel explores the darker aspects of a technology-driven, image-saturated culture and the human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy, and redemption.
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A tale about ‘externalised’ memory, seductive technologies, and the deeply human quest for real connection, unfolding through a myriad of interlinked narratives, The Candy House features characters from A Visit from the Goon Squad. It is a novel about the quest for authenticity, privacy, and meaning in a world where our memories are no longer our own. It's 2010. Tech entrepreneur Bix Bouton is desperate for a new idea. He's forty, with four kids, and restless when he stumbles into a conversation with Columbia professors, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or 'externalising' 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 every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others—has gained multitudes of users. In linked narratives, the consequences of Own Your Unconscious are explored through the lives of multiple characters whose paths intersect over several decades. These characters are introduced in an array of styles—from omniscient to first person plural to a duet of voices, an epistolary chapter, and a chapter of tweets. In this world, 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. With a focus on social media, gaming, and alternate worlds, the novel explores the darker aspects of a technology-driven, image-saturated culture and the human longing for real connection, love, family, privacy, and redemption.