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Sweetness #9
Fast Food Nation meets The Corrections in the brilliant literary debut T.C. Boyle calls "funny and moving."
David Leveraux is an Apprentice Flavor Chemist at one of the world's leading flavor production houses. While testing Sweetness #9, he notices that the artificial sweetener causes unsettling side-effects in laboratory rats and monkeys. But with his career and family at risk, David keeps his suspicions to himself.
Years later, Sweetness #9 is America's most popular sweetener--and David's family is changing. His wife is gaining weight, his daughter is depressed, and his son has stopped using verbs. Is Sweetness #9 to blame, along with David's failure to stop it? Or are these just symptoms of the American condition?
An exciting literary debut, SWEETNESS #9 is a darkly comic, wildly imaginative investigation of whether what we eat makes us who we are.
David Leveraux is an Apprentice Flavor Chemist at one of the world's leading flavor production houses. While testing Sweetness #9, he notices that the artificial sweetener causes unsettling side-effects in laboratory rats and monkeys. But with his career and family at risk, David keeps his suspicions to himself.
Years later, Sweetness #9 is America's most popular sweetener--and David's family is changing. His wife is gaining weight, his daughter is depressed, and his son has stopped using verbs. Is Sweetness #9 to blame, along with David's failure to stop it? Or are these just symptoms of the American condition?
An exciting literary debut, SWEETNESS #9 is a darkly comic, wildly imaginative investigation of whether what we eat makes us who we are.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
51 people are currently reading
3225 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Eirik Clark
5 books47 followersStephan Eirik Clark is the author of the novel Sweetness #9 (Little, Brown) and the short story collection Vladimir's Mustache (Russian Life Books), a finalist for the 2013 Minnesota Book Award. He teaches at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
September 3, 2014
This is a train wreck of a book! The writing style is strong, but the story jumps from here to there, making broad associations and never following up on them. The monkeys are gaining weight and becoming listless - it must be caused by Sweetness #9! Now they've been replaced by skinny, happy monkeys - it must be a cover up! What to do? I know; I'll quit my job and check myself into a mental institution! Now the head of a competing flavor company is offering me a job - what to do? I know; I'll take the job and make lots of money developing the same types of artificial flavors that I suspect are causing great harm. Now my wife is weight-obsessed, my daughter is gay, and my son is no longer using verbs - what to do? I know; I'll ignore it and hope things get better. Now someone is sending me anonymous envelopes containing packets of Sweetness #9 - what does it mean? Is it a threat? What to do? I know; I won't tell anyone! Now someone is putting bombs in grocery stores and blowing up shoppers! Who's doing it and why? And more importantly, how can we safely buy our Thanksgiving turkey? I know; we'll use garbage can lids as shields! Now my boss is an old man and confesses that when he was Hitler's personal chef he developed a Sweetness #9 precursor and fed it to Hitler and his top guys and that's what made them all so depressed that they committed suicide. Now my daughter has discovered that her girlfriend is really a transgender boy and is so upset that she runs away from home. What to do? I know; let's not report it or look for her; she just needs some time alone. Now my wife is leaving me and moving to Ukraine to find herself. What to do? I know; my verbless son and I will move to Northern California and start an organic farm! Now my wife and her Ukrainian lover move in because she is dying and wants to be with her family. Now my runaway gay daughter shows up pregnant. Now my wife is dead, her lover went home (presumably), my son is still verbless, my daughter has a job, and I spend my time babysitting my granddaughter. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2014
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
Perhaps a seemingly rather harsh rating, but in accordance with Goodreads' rating descriptions, I found myself not solidly liking this book but liking it more than just an okay book. From the summary, I really wanted to like this book, but my expectations may have been misplaced. I expected a fictional narrative well interwoven with facts about the artificial food industry, similar to Fast Food Nation. While Clark does incorporate some, there wasn't as much nonfiction as I wanted, especially because I've already heard most of the general points before and was looking for some other things I didn't know.
The book as a whole was a bit of a roller coaster for me. The beginning started out pretty strong with David's run-in with the authorities in lab while the rest of the book was a rather engaging read at some points (e.g. some of David's wranglings with his conscience) but slow and dragging at other points. The pace thankfully picks up more in the second half and final section. The final section gives off a more chaotic, disjointed feel, which at times makes me wonder if this ending was rushed and not as well put-together as the rest of the book. Also, maybe I just missed something, but At the end, there were still quite a few missing details about the characters that I would have appreciated learning about, both for curiosity's sake and as a means of developing the other characters more.
In general, this book did not have enough info about the artificial food industry to significantly impact the way I think about it, and the story itself was okay but had some enjoyable points.
Thank you to Goodreads giveaways for allowing me to read and review this book.
Perhaps a seemingly rather harsh rating, but in accordance with Goodreads' rating descriptions, I found myself not solidly liking this book but liking it more than just an okay book. From the summary, I really wanted to like this book, but my expectations may have been misplaced. I expected a fictional narrative well interwoven with facts about the artificial food industry, similar to Fast Food Nation. While Clark does incorporate some, there wasn't as much nonfiction as I wanted, especially because I've already heard most of the general points before and was looking for some other things I didn't know.
The book as a whole was a bit of a roller coaster for me. The beginning started out pretty strong with David's run-in with the authorities in lab while the rest of the book was a rather engaging read at some points (e.g. some of David's wranglings with his conscience) but slow and dragging at other points. The pace thankfully picks up more in the second half and final section. The final section gives off a more chaotic, disjointed feel, which at times makes me wonder if this ending was rushed and not as well put-together as the rest of the book. Also, maybe I just missed something, but At the end, there were still quite a few missing details about the characters that I would have appreciated learning about, both for curiosity's sake and as a means of developing the other characters more.
In general, this book did not have enough info about the artificial food industry to significantly impact the way I think about it, and the story itself was okay but had some enjoyable points.
Thank you to Goodreads giveaways for allowing me to read and review this book.
September 15, 2014
Sweetness #9 should have been a book that I loved. For one thing, I’m a huge fan of Food Inc and I can’t get enough of food documentaries in general. I’ve also read books about this topic too, including Fast Food Nation which is mentioned in the synopsis for Sweetness #9. However, it wasn’t until it was mentioned on the Colbert Report that I really wanted to read this novel.
After reading the synopsis and some of the reviews for it, I assumed that this would be my kind of book. I was expecting a Fast Food Nation – Douglas Coupland hybrid type novel, where the lead character, David Leveraux, finds out what’s really going in our food and has to deal with that knowledge and his dysfunctional family.
And in a sense, I did get that, but I feel like this was more about David’s struggle with being normal and living the American Dream. Hmmm, when I think of it like that, then it is a bit smart how Sweetness #9’s takeover of the food market mirrors David’s lack of action to do anything in his life. The moment he takes control and stops trying to do what is normal, then he feels great, but things have already changed and the consequences of his neglect are irreversible. Likewise, once you stop the synthetic sweetener you may feel better, but you’re health may still have some side effects, like diabetes or something.
Now that I think about it, it is a smart novel and it does make sense in the grand scheme of things, but that’s only because I’m looking at everything as a whole as I’m write this review. While reading it, I was bored. I loved the beginning of the novel when we are first introduced to David and find out the shocking truth behind Sweetness #9. There was tons of humour in the first part, along with the Fast Food Nation aspect of it as well.
Then, we go into Part Two, which takes place many years into the future. David now has a family, except it isn’t anything like he thought they would be like. His wife keeps gaining weight, his daughter is a vegan rebel, and his son has stopped using verbs. David knows why his wife is having a hard time and why his son forgoes verbs, but he doesn’t anything to rectify the situation.
And this is why I didn’t like the second part of this novel. We get to see some of the harmful effects of this sweetener, but David has never said anything despite what he knows about it. He watches his family eat the stuff, while he refuses to touch it. I kept wondering why he would allow his family to slowly kill themselves when he could be more proactive in helping them.
It was really frustrating to read as he knew why his family was falling apart, but refused to do anything about it. I would have overlooked this glaring problem more if we got to see more about Sweetness #9, but sadly this novel became only a family drama. There’s this Hitler subplot too which just seemed long winded and unnecessary.
By the end of the novel, when David finally does do something, it almost seems too little too late for me. I just stopped caring.
Overall: Looking back, I can appreciate what Clark was doing in his debut novel, but I feel like some of the pieces here didn’t come together as well as they should. I think this is the problem when other books are mentioned in the synopsis, because then the reader goes in expecting one thing and getting something completely different after. Because I saw Fast Food Nation and humour, I thought we’d get a funny fictitious novel about the food industry and how it messed up one man’s life. Instead, I got a novel that is smart (once you think about it), but not as funny and not as food orientated as I thought.
I feel like if the plot lines were a bit tighter and the length of the novel was shorter, I might have liked this more. Unfortunately, Sweetness #9 didn’t really do anything for me. Which I suppose is a good thing, because I’ve heard some really shocking stuff about it.
I do think that Clark has a bright future though. The way he mirrored Sweetness #9’s harmful properties and David’s life choices was really clever and made me appreciate the novel a smidge more than I originally did. So, kudos to that!
After reading the synopsis and some of the reviews for it, I assumed that this would be my kind of book. I was expecting a Fast Food Nation – Douglas Coupland hybrid type novel, where the lead character, David Leveraux, finds out what’s really going in our food and has to deal with that knowledge and his dysfunctional family.
And in a sense, I did get that, but I feel like this was more about David’s struggle with being normal and living the American Dream. Hmmm, when I think of it like that, then it is a bit smart how Sweetness #9’s takeover of the food market mirrors David’s lack of action to do anything in his life. The moment he takes control and stops trying to do what is normal, then he feels great, but things have already changed and the consequences of his neglect are irreversible. Likewise, once you stop the synthetic sweetener you may feel better, but you’re health may still have some side effects, like diabetes or something.
Now that I think about it, it is a smart novel and it does make sense in the grand scheme of things, but that’s only because I’m looking at everything as a whole as I’m write this review. While reading it, I was bored. I loved the beginning of the novel when we are first introduced to David and find out the shocking truth behind Sweetness #9. There was tons of humour in the first part, along with the Fast Food Nation aspect of it as well.
Then, we go into Part Two, which takes place many years into the future. David now has a family, except it isn’t anything like he thought they would be like. His wife keeps gaining weight, his daughter is a vegan rebel, and his son has stopped using verbs. David knows why his wife is having a hard time and why his son forgoes verbs, but he doesn’t anything to rectify the situation.
And this is why I didn’t like the second part of this novel. We get to see some of the harmful effects of this sweetener, but David has never said anything despite what he knows about it. He watches his family eat the stuff, while he refuses to touch it. I kept wondering why he would allow his family to slowly kill themselves when he could be more proactive in helping them.
It was really frustrating to read as he knew why his family was falling apart, but refused to do anything about it. I would have overlooked this glaring problem more if we got to see more about Sweetness #9, but sadly this novel became only a family drama. There’s this Hitler subplot too which just seemed long winded and unnecessary.
By the end of the novel, when David finally does do something, it almost seems too little too late for me. I just stopped caring.
Overall: Looking back, I can appreciate what Clark was doing in his debut novel, but I feel like some of the pieces here didn’t come together as well as they should. I think this is the problem when other books are mentioned in the synopsis, because then the reader goes in expecting one thing and getting something completely different after. Because I saw Fast Food Nation and humour, I thought we’d get a funny fictitious novel about the food industry and how it messed up one man’s life. Instead, I got a novel that is smart (once you think about it), but not as funny and not as food orientated as I thought.
I feel like if the plot lines were a bit tighter and the length of the novel was shorter, I might have liked this more. Unfortunately, Sweetness #9 didn’t really do anything for me. Which I suppose is a good thing, because I’ve heard some really shocking stuff about it.
I do think that Clark has a bright future though. The way he mirrored Sweetness #9’s harmful properties and David’s life choices was really clever and made me appreciate the novel a smidge more than I originally did. So, kudos to that!
October 12, 2015
This book was all over the place, and in serious need of some tightening up of the plot. I really wanted to like this book based on the blurb, but it didn't live up to the promise of the premise.
This fictional book, themed on the new trend of bashing processed foods, while pushing a healthier diet, is supposed to be of the dark humor variety, but somehow is just misses the target and verges on the boring and dull, rather than the sharp and witty.
It has its moments but these come mostly at the beginning and the end, making me wonder if this would have been better as a short story.
This fictional book, themed on the new trend of bashing processed foods, while pushing a healthier diet, is supposed to be of the dark humor variety, but somehow is just misses the target and verges on the boring and dull, rather than the sharp and witty.
It has its moments but these come mostly at the beginning and the end, making me wonder if this would have been better as a short story.
February 22, 2016
by Stephan Eirik ClarkThat was without question the quickest I've ever read a book. I'm generally a slower reader than many, however this book had my interests written 'all' over it. My words below still stand and then some....So Happy I was given a chance to read this book thanks to Little Brown and Goodreads First Reads program. Review a bit closer to expected release which is August 19, 2014 as it says on the back of the book.
Not my review....yet, but I just wanted to pop in to thank Little Brown and Company, Hatchette and the Goodreads First Reads program for allowing me to be able to read this book. This "#9" is seriously the tip of the iceberg of the highest interest topics for me. There are millions more things in our food, vaccines, environment, and pharma scripts we take that without question have a very profound impact on not 'who' we are, rather 'how' we are as a direct result of these additives and the effects causing the gut/brain reaction. I know second hand and first hand through over 30 years of personal experience, over 26 years of research and record keeping on my own health issues which I've had since the age of five to know this is a very serious problem in society. Far too many people are merely existing through life, but go about our daily lives doing all the wrong things (eating processed foods, too many medications, lack of exercise, lack of positive affirmations and outlook on life.....daily to reinforce the Beauty we 'all' could be feeling/living). Simply getting by when we could be doing something 'so' much more important.......'Living'!! If more people would just give change of lifestyle a try on so many levels the change and the chain reaction would be extraordinary!! Start 'Living Today'......
I was incredibly excited (more than that I can't explain in typed words) so when I saw that I won this book I wanted to scream, hoped Little Brown knows how deeply grateful I am and I dove in as soon as it arrived today (July 11, 2014).
Whether fiction, fact or both this is going to be an amazing read. A synopsis and topic that hits on one of my most passionate beliefs, topics I research and educate about endlessly and my advocacy/activism side. I've been there and have fallen, but retreat back to avoiding things like "#9" and I'm a totally like different person for it. The synopsis on this book is fantastic, one I hope reaches far and keeps being passed along.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :) Sorry for screaming, lol.
Amazon purchase link:
http://www.amazon.com/Sweetness-Novel...
July 19, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC giveaway through Goodreads.
I gave this book three stars mostly due to the last chapter not being what I was hoping for. Otherwise it would have been a solid 4 star book.
What do obese monkeys, Hitler, and America's grocery stores have in common? Those are just a few of the random things in this book that connect together, however vaguely, throughout the book. The writing style is interesting, and kept my attention through most of the book. There were several points that seemed to drone on, but there was enough happening plot wise that I kept going.
Overall, Sweetness #9 was a decent book. It ready was just the last chapter that left me with a feeling of "Oh. That's it?" with several unanswered questions - mostly regarding David's daughter and wife. That was unsatisfying, but the majority of the book was good.
I gave this book three stars mostly due to the last chapter not being what I was hoping for. Otherwise it would have been a solid 4 star book.
What do obese monkeys, Hitler, and America's grocery stores have in common? Those are just a few of the random things in this book that connect together, however vaguely, throughout the book. The writing style is interesting, and kept my attention through most of the book. There were several points that seemed to drone on, but there was enough happening plot wise that I kept going.
Overall, Sweetness #9 was a decent book. It ready was just the last chapter that left me with a feeling of "Oh. That's it?" with several unanswered questions - mostly regarding David's daughter and wife. That was unsatisfying, but the majority of the book was good.
October 10, 2014
I'm happy to say I haven't had a single Diet Coke since I started reading this book.
August 6, 2017
It is a truth universally acknowledged—at least it should be—that the Western diet is crap. So it's ironic that I read Stephan Eirik Clark's Sweetness #9 just a month after reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. The book is a fictional memoir of a flavorist who did some of the original testing for an artificial sweetener back in the 1970s before suffering a qualm of conscience...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
December 13, 2014
I agree with Katie. Bogged down in the second half
August 8, 2021
Wanted to like this book - it's a cool idea and I'm all for a good satire - but got sick of the MC's hypocrisy.
July 27, 2014
3.5 out of 5 stars - "You are what you eat."
Everyone knows that much of what many of us choose to eat isn't probably the most nutritious or most healthy of diets. The reasons why we choose one particular food over another, or have a preference for sweet or salty, or want something quick and easy are all those that companies who make flavorings want to "help" us with! The description of the book really is perfect when it reads -- "this book is a cross between FAST FOOD NATION and THE CORRECTIONS." Having read both, and enjoyed them, I concur.
This is a wide ranging fictional account of a man, David Leveraux, who's hired to concoct, using chemicals, all those various flavorings for food from that buttery taste on your microwave popcorn to the artificial "sweetner #9" used as ubiquitously as fructose corn syrup is now in more products than you'd ever imagine. In addition, there's a little problem with the "red dyes" and other additives that enhance the taste of the food and drink you consume. Of course there's danger there, as our character finds out when his family starts falling apart -- his wife is gaining weight, his daughter is in a funk alternating between being a vegan and also rebelling against her father's life work, and their son has suddently stopped using verbs when speaking. The problem is this -- David knew there were some issues with the sweetner in particular because he had been involved with early animal testing of the product. Instead of doing the whistleblow, he moved on from that job to another with a new flavoring company run by a man who didn't just serve during WW II, he "served Hitler his dinner."
Years pass with ups and downs as David tries to come to terms with the changes in the food industry from taste to form to delivery. The book is both social commentary and anecdotal with what may or may not be accurate information about the actual products which we know as "food." It's funny sometimes, but mostly scary. Definitely it made me rethink every single item I have to eat in my house and got me to do some intense label reading.
I gave it 3.5 stars only because it dragged in parts and because it is fiction, I'm not sure it's meant to be alarmist or entertaining and without a bibliography I'm uncertain what part of this is fact. The narrative was all over the place with inclusion of a lot of material that I found hard to completely understand as there were time shifts. The main character was quite well developed as was his wrestle with his conscience. The others not so much, except for Ernst Eberhardt, the owner of FlavAmerica where David works. His colleagues are quite the unique set!
There's a lot of great material inside this book that I could write quote after quote, but I'll leave that to the reader to discover. I did enjoy this novel and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the current state of our food products and who might want to take another look at their own diet.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the e-book ARC to review.
Everyone knows that much of what many of us choose to eat isn't probably the most nutritious or most healthy of diets. The reasons why we choose one particular food over another, or have a preference for sweet or salty, or want something quick and easy are all those that companies who make flavorings want to "help" us with! The description of the book really is perfect when it reads -- "this book is a cross between FAST FOOD NATION and THE CORRECTIONS." Having read both, and enjoyed them, I concur.
This is a wide ranging fictional account of a man, David Leveraux, who's hired to concoct, using chemicals, all those various flavorings for food from that buttery taste on your microwave popcorn to the artificial "sweetner #9" used as ubiquitously as fructose corn syrup is now in more products than you'd ever imagine. In addition, there's a little problem with the "red dyes" and other additives that enhance the taste of the food and drink you consume. Of course there's danger there, as our character finds out when his family starts falling apart -- his wife is gaining weight, his daughter is in a funk alternating between being a vegan and also rebelling against her father's life work, and their son has suddently stopped using verbs when speaking. The problem is this -- David knew there were some issues with the sweetner in particular because he had been involved with early animal testing of the product. Instead of doing the whistleblow, he moved on from that job to another with a new flavoring company run by a man who didn't just serve during WW II, he "served Hitler his dinner."
Years pass with ups and downs as David tries to come to terms with the changes in the food industry from taste to form to delivery. The book is both social commentary and anecdotal with what may or may not be accurate information about the actual products which we know as "food." It's funny sometimes, but mostly scary. Definitely it made me rethink every single item I have to eat in my house and got me to do some intense label reading.
I gave it 3.5 stars only because it dragged in parts and because it is fiction, I'm not sure it's meant to be alarmist or entertaining and without a bibliography I'm uncertain what part of this is fact. The narrative was all over the place with inclusion of a lot of material that I found hard to completely understand as there were time shifts. The main character was quite well developed as was his wrestle with his conscience. The others not so much, except for Ernst Eberhardt, the owner of FlavAmerica where David works. His colleagues are quite the unique set!
There's a lot of great material inside this book that I could write quote after quote, but I'll leave that to the reader to discover. I did enjoy this novel and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the current state of our food products and who might want to take another look at their own diet.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the e-book ARC to review.
August 3, 2014
Sweetness #9 is an artificial sweetener not unlike aspartame (Nutrasweet) or saccharin (Sweet 'N Lo), both of which have had their share of bad press and negative health attributes. David Leveraux is a flavor chemist who is part of the team testing Sweetness #9 on rats and monkeys. He discovers the chemical is making the animals fat, lethargic, dumb, etc. but when he decides to play whistleblower, suddenly the animals are perfectly fine and he is fired rather than hailed as a hero. He gets another dream job working for a rival company; Sweetness #9 goes on to become the darling of the diet world and David becomes a happy father to 2 kids, after his wife had previously had trouble conceiving.
I wanted to love this book - it had a great blurb from TC Boyle, who is one of my favorite authors (and who I discovered in the acknowledgments is actually a mentor of this writer, sad to say - not sad for the author because Boyle is amazing but sad because the blurb was clearly borne of personal rather than professional admiration). It had a lot of wonderful storylines but unfortunately, most of them were very much of the 70s - a wife who wants to be fulfilled as a career person, woman and mother but who feels guilty for everything negative that happens to her kids, a daughter who eschews the conservative approach of her dad and falls in love with her best girlfriend who is an hippie flower child type from the west coast, and a son who embraces fast food, flavor dyes, video games, etc. and suffers ADD so badly he loses the use of verbs.
Following a few terrorist acts in the supermarket, a red herring of a blackmail storyline, and a mentor who cooked for Hitler, we get an extended epilogue that not only dashes through another decade in the space of a few pages but also explains in a scant sentence or two every single thing we have seen and wondered about. Oh yes, and there are parents who were killed in the clock tower massacre in 1966, the lover of his mentor who inspires our narrator to become an organic farmer and make sauerkraut which is sold in Whole Foods markets, and another lover of his mentor who leaves when the man becomes senile. None of this has any impact on the story or our character other than to a) give him a ton of money and b) "fill out" the pages with quirkiness.
Don't get me wrong. I love quirky characters but at the end of this book, I felt like I didn't know any character anymore then their quirks. There was no real emotion on the page, no true loss. And our narrator changed not a whit. I never felt like there was anything at stake for him - just when it seemed like he had to face adversity, something came along to save him. (e.g. locked up in a psych ward? he gets a fantastic job offer!)
So the rating for this is 3.5 stars. It kept me reading but left me wanting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
I wanted to love this book - it had a great blurb from TC Boyle, who is one of my favorite authors (and who I discovered in the acknowledgments is actually a mentor of this writer, sad to say - not sad for the author because Boyle is amazing but sad because the blurb was clearly borne of personal rather than professional admiration). It had a lot of wonderful storylines but unfortunately, most of them were very much of the 70s - a wife who wants to be fulfilled as a career person, woman and mother but who feels guilty for everything negative that happens to her kids, a daughter who eschews the conservative approach of her dad and falls in love with her best girlfriend who is an hippie flower child type from the west coast, and a son who embraces fast food, flavor dyes, video games, etc. and suffers ADD so badly he loses the use of verbs.
Following a few terrorist acts in the supermarket, a red herring of a blackmail storyline, and a mentor who cooked for Hitler, we get an extended epilogue that not only dashes through another decade in the space of a few pages but also explains in a scant sentence or two every single thing we have seen and wondered about. Oh yes, and there are parents who were killed in the clock tower massacre in 1966, the lover of his mentor who inspires our narrator to become an organic farmer and make sauerkraut which is sold in Whole Foods markets, and another lover of his mentor who leaves when the man becomes senile. None of this has any impact on the story or our character other than to a) give him a ton of money and b) "fill out" the pages with quirkiness.
Don't get me wrong. I love quirky characters but at the end of this book, I felt like I didn't know any character anymore then their quirks. There was no real emotion on the page, no true loss. And our narrator changed not a whit. I never felt like there was anything at stake for him - just when it seemed like he had to face adversity, something came along to save him. (e.g. locked up in a psych ward? he gets a fantastic job offer!)
So the rating for this is 3.5 stars. It kept me reading but left me wanting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
February 2, 2015
3.5 stars
Wow, this one hit home. And I’m not sure if it’s because I’m from New Jersey, my sister is a scientist, or I am a fan of Splenda, but any combination of those things would have piqued my interest in this book.
I wasn’t so sure about the New Jersey thing. Partway through the book I convinced myself that the author must have worked for a large pharmaceutical company, or was, at the very least, from NJ. Thinking about it a little more, I realized that it was not so much a novel about New Jersey as one that took place in New Jersey. Aside from a lot of town name-dropping, the story really could have taken place anywhere; it just so happens that New Jersey is home to so many pharmaceutical companies that it had to take place here to give it authenticity.
This is not a book to read as you sip your artificially sweetened soda, or stir splenda into your flavored tea. After reading it, you will cringe as you pass the packaged food aisles in the grocery store — you may even think twice about entering the grocery store at all. It was, for me, a wake-up call. So yes, I know you are thinking, it’s a novel, right? Yes. And no. Because of course there is a lot in this book that is obviously fiction, but the main points echo a truth we really can’t deny. It is making me think twice. I stopped buying splenda, and I am going to do my best to cut it out of my Dunkin Donuts order… I am going to be looking much more carefully at the things I buy, especially the things I feed my kids. I will have to re-read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and remember the resolve I felt after I read that book.
Ok, I feel bad now; I got a little carried away. It is a novel after all. In fact, it is a well-written one, with a terrific cast of characters who moved me. The plot was clever and compelling, though the action flagged a bit at times when it followed some odd tangents. The author has an incredible gift for similes, which always impresses me – it is a skill to use them in a seamless way. I don’t always think this way, but I did think this book would make a terrific movie. When I looked at the author’s bio (not from NJ by the way, far off), I did see he was a screenwriter, so maybe this will be something to look for as well. It may be a little painful, if like me, you read it with your kindle resting on an ever-increasing waistline, but maybe it will be more than just a novel, maybe it will be a call to action. And maybe, we will all be better off having read it.
Wow, this one hit home. And I’m not sure if it’s because I’m from New Jersey, my sister is a scientist, or I am a fan of Splenda, but any combination of those things would have piqued my interest in this book.
I wasn’t so sure about the New Jersey thing. Partway through the book I convinced myself that the author must have worked for a large pharmaceutical company, or was, at the very least, from NJ. Thinking about it a little more, I realized that it was not so much a novel about New Jersey as one that took place in New Jersey. Aside from a lot of town name-dropping, the story really could have taken place anywhere; it just so happens that New Jersey is home to so many pharmaceutical companies that it had to take place here to give it authenticity.
This is not a book to read as you sip your artificially sweetened soda, or stir splenda into your flavored tea. After reading it, you will cringe as you pass the packaged food aisles in the grocery store — you may even think twice about entering the grocery store at all. It was, for me, a wake-up call. So yes, I know you are thinking, it’s a novel, right? Yes. And no. Because of course there is a lot in this book that is obviously fiction, but the main points echo a truth we really can’t deny. It is making me think twice. I stopped buying splenda, and I am going to do my best to cut it out of my Dunkin Donuts order… I am going to be looking much more carefully at the things I buy, especially the things I feed my kids. I will have to re-read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and remember the resolve I felt after I read that book.
Ok, I feel bad now; I got a little carried away. It is a novel after all. In fact, it is a well-written one, with a terrific cast of characters who moved me. The plot was clever and compelling, though the action flagged a bit at times when it followed some odd tangents. The author has an incredible gift for similes, which always impresses me – it is a skill to use them in a seamless way. I don’t always think this way, but I did think this book would make a terrific movie. When I looked at the author’s bio (not from NJ by the way, far off), I did see he was a screenwriter, so maybe this will be something to look for as well. It may be a little painful, if like me, you read it with your kindle resting on an ever-increasing waistline, but maybe it will be more than just a novel, maybe it will be a call to action. And maybe, we will all be better off having read it.
August 2, 2014
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
This eternally unanswered question lies at the heart of Sweetness #9, the new novel by Stephan Eirik Clark. A fictionalized account of the current debate over food production and the Western diet, the novel follows the story of the Levereaux family during the period of the American food revolution. The father, David, works as a flavourist, but he came into his role after an eventful start doing animal research at one of America's leading food production companies. What David sees and doesn't see in the production of the bestselling, ubiquitous artificial sweetener called Sweetness #9 sends him on a decades long search for the truth.
While David struggles with questions of ethical responsibility, his family falls apart at the seams. His long-suffering wife, Betty, fights the age-old battle of the bulge, but is hers the quest of Sisyphus and the rock? Meanwhile, David's children, daughter Priscilla and son Ernest, have problems of their own. But is their malaise caused by the composition of Sweetness #9 (found in almost everything they consume), or is it the result of the "American condition"? And just what caused this "American condition", anyway?
Sweetness #9 veers off into strange territory while attempting to solve the mystery, but with great wit and sharp storytelling, Clark never loses his reader. Tangents aside, Sweetness #9 leaves one pondering the eternal question, thereby dismissing the notion that this particular formula is all empty calories.
***
ARC generously provided by Little, Brown and Company, and Netgalley.
Release date: August 19, 2014
This eternally unanswered question lies at the heart of Sweetness #9, the new novel by Stephan Eirik Clark. A fictionalized account of the current debate over food production and the Western diet, the novel follows the story of the Levereaux family during the period of the American food revolution. The father, David, works as a flavourist, but he came into his role after an eventful start doing animal research at one of America's leading food production companies. What David sees and doesn't see in the production of the bestselling, ubiquitous artificial sweetener called Sweetness #9 sends him on a decades long search for the truth.
While David struggles with questions of ethical responsibility, his family falls apart at the seams. His long-suffering wife, Betty, fights the age-old battle of the bulge, but is hers the quest of Sisyphus and the rock? Meanwhile, David's children, daughter Priscilla and son Ernest, have problems of their own. But is their malaise caused by the composition of Sweetness #9 (found in almost everything they consume), or is it the result of the "American condition"? And just what caused this "American condition", anyway?
Sweetness #9 veers off into strange territory while attempting to solve the mystery, but with great wit and sharp storytelling, Clark never loses his reader. Tangents aside, Sweetness #9 leaves one pondering the eternal question, thereby dismissing the notion that this particular formula is all empty calories.
***
ARC generously provided by Little, Brown and Company, and Netgalley.
Release date: August 19, 2014
August 18, 2014
I received this book as a GoodReads winner.
I have put off writing this review. I definitely enjoyed reading the book, but I'm finding it hard to say why in words. I fear that my enjoyment was primarily because of my own personal interests, and not because the book itself is a rousing success. I'm a proud food snob with a serious taste for gourmet food, which, over the past decade, has come to mean I would prefer my diet consist of local, sustainable, fresh ingredients. But, like all good Americans, I am a walking contradiction - a "food snob" who also happens to be an overweight adult raised on the same high fructose corn syrup crap as the rest of my homeland. This raising has resulted in me being all too familiar with the primal draw to the three "'tos": Cheetos, Doritos, and Fritos. Salty, over-processed snacks are not just a weakness, they are my personal albatross. Maybe that is why I nodded and smiled along as I read about flavor chemist David Leveraux and his growing guilt/anxiety related to his profession.
I cannot know how I would have felt about this book if I had grown up to be a well-adjusted individual with a healthy relationship to food. As such, I can only give my very biased opinion which is that this book has important things to say about the foods eaten in America, and it says many of them very well. I found the ending to be a failure, not because it lacked the cruel irony of good satire, but because that irony failed to elicit in me that breathless, gutpunch feeling. Nevertheless, I found it delightful. Much like my beloved Cheetos, it left me somewhat dissatisfied, yet somehow wanting more.
I have put off writing this review. I definitely enjoyed reading the book, but I'm finding it hard to say why in words. I fear that my enjoyment was primarily because of my own personal interests, and not because the book itself is a rousing success. I'm a proud food snob with a serious taste for gourmet food, which, over the past decade, has come to mean I would prefer my diet consist of local, sustainable, fresh ingredients. But, like all good Americans, I am a walking contradiction - a "food snob" who also happens to be an overweight adult raised on the same high fructose corn syrup crap as the rest of my homeland. This raising has resulted in me being all too familiar with the primal draw to the three "'tos": Cheetos, Doritos, and Fritos. Salty, over-processed snacks are not just a weakness, they are my personal albatross. Maybe that is why I nodded and smiled along as I read about flavor chemist David Leveraux and his growing guilt/anxiety related to his profession.
I cannot know how I would have felt about this book if I had grown up to be a well-adjusted individual with a healthy relationship to food. As such, I can only give my very biased opinion which is that this book has important things to say about the foods eaten in America, and it says many of them very well. I found the ending to be a failure, not because it lacked the cruel irony of good satire, but because that irony failed to elicit in me that breathless, gutpunch feeling. Nevertheless, I found it delightful. Much like my beloved Cheetos, it left me somewhat dissatisfied, yet somehow wanting more.
August 1, 2014
Right after graduation, David is hired by a food company to oversee animal testing of a new substance, Sweetness #9. This chemical substance, sweeter than sugar, begins to have strange effects on the rats in the animal testing lab, as well as David and his young wife, Betty, who have been sampling the product. When David tries to voice his concerns, he finds himself not only out of a job, but soon questioning his sanity.
Years later, Sweetness #9 has not only been approved by the FDA, but seems to be a requisite ingredient in all prepared and packaged foods. As much as David tries to forget his involvement in the history of Sweetness #9, he begins to worry when his family members start exhibiting symptoms eerily similar to those he noticed in the rats years ago.
This book kept me guessing--I was never quite sure where it was going to go. The sections that dealt with additives and artificial flavorings were quite interesting and almost seemed ripped from the headlines--I don't think I can look at processed foods in the same way ever again. The portions that dealt with David's family and their various reactions to Sweetness #9 reminded me a bit, tonally, of White Noise. Although David's experiences with Sweetness #9 in the animal testing lab were sinister enough, I never could have predicted the truly gruesome origin of the substance. I enjoyed the offbeat humor laced throughout the story, punctuated at the end by the final footnote.
Years later, Sweetness #9 has not only been approved by the FDA, but seems to be a requisite ingredient in all prepared and packaged foods. As much as David tries to forget his involvement in the history of Sweetness #9, he begins to worry when his family members start exhibiting symptoms eerily similar to those he noticed in the rats years ago.
This book kept me guessing--I was never quite sure where it was going to go. The sections that dealt with additives and artificial flavorings were quite interesting and almost seemed ripped from the headlines--I don't think I can look at processed foods in the same way ever again. The portions that dealt with David's family and their various reactions to Sweetness #9 reminded me a bit, tonally, of White Noise. Although David's experiences with Sweetness #9 in the animal testing lab were sinister enough, I never could have predicted the truly gruesome origin of the substance. I enjoyed the offbeat humor laced throughout the story, punctuated at the end by the final footnote.
January 16, 2015
Stephan Eirik Clark is an extremely talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of his work. He took on a big subject with this book ... the food industry and how it has impacted American health and lifestyle ... and approached it with subtlety and humor, laced with more than a few bombs that were quite the eye-openers. I can't say I knew exactly where he was going with any particular subject when I started the book, and I was picking up that he must be a Brit because of the rich humor, and again the subtlety, that was his style. Mr. Clark writes with ease about such a scary and dangerous subject, and one knows that he has done his homework. I think this book may remain in the shadows because, although it is a sensational subject, it can't be sensationalized the way so much junk is by the reading public, i.e. Eat, Pray, Love, the most insincere book ever written, and the most dangerous kind of artificial sweetener in itself. Sweetness #9 documents a crucial time period for American culture, and I hope Mr. Clark will continue to track the fallout of the folly of manipulating the U.S. public the way the Food Industry has.
April 18, 2015
3.75-ish
I first hear about this book when Edan Lepucki, the author of California, was on The Colbert Report about a year or so ago, and recommended those book to him, saying it was one of her favorite books. I can't help but find the irony that I read a recommendation of hers before reading an actual book of hers.
Reading this book seemed very reminiscent of how the food industry is described in Fast Food Nation(I saw the film, but haven't read the book yet). It got me thinking as to how this book eerily parallels this world we're living in with vastly growing GMOs and artificial flavorings and foods. David's story brought us into him and his family and how it directly affects them: Wife gains weight, Son doesn't speak right, daughter is depressed to a degree, just like it says in the synopsis.
Though it did drag a bit around the middle of the book, it was the first and last third of the book that were the most interesting and thought provoking. After reading this, I am pretty sure I will question more what I am eating, or thinking about eating.
I first hear about this book when Edan Lepucki, the author of California, was on The Colbert Report about a year or so ago, and recommended those book to him, saying it was one of her favorite books. I can't help but find the irony that I read a recommendation of hers before reading an actual book of hers.
Reading this book seemed very reminiscent of how the food industry is described in Fast Food Nation(I saw the film, but haven't read the book yet). It got me thinking as to how this book eerily parallels this world we're living in with vastly growing GMOs and artificial flavorings and foods. David's story brought us into him and his family and how it directly affects them: Wife gains weight, Son doesn't speak right, daughter is depressed to a degree, just like it says in the synopsis.
Though it did drag a bit around the middle of the book, it was the first and last third of the book that were the most interesting and thought provoking. After reading this, I am pretty sure I will question more what I am eating, or thinking about eating.
September 15, 2014
I wanted to like this book and spent a lot of my time while reading the book also drinking a diet soda. It is hard to read a book about the dangers of additives while consuming a diet carbonated drink or drinking a cup of coffee flavored to taste like coconut. And realizing someone made a flavor out of something to taste like coconut.
This is not why I did not like it...I just did not like the people in it. I did not care what happened to them. If you don't care then you do a lot of skimming. So I sorta speed read it....Sorry. I bought the book my self and tried to sell it on ebay and no one will buy it...
This is not why I did not like it...I just did not like the people in it. I did not care what happened to them. If you don't care then you do a lot of skimming. So I sorta speed read it....Sorry. I bought the book my self and tried to sell it on ebay and no one will buy it...
September 8, 2014
I was fist put off by this book that is supposed to be about scientists when all the characters (while working in a lab, no less) referred to chimpanzees as monkeys.
Towards the end, the main character's teenage daughter had a crush on another teen girl, who was outed as trans by a ridiculous punishment from the school principal. This was handled briefly, but terribly.
I know this is fiction. And it is meant to be funny. But that doesn't mean it can't also be well researched. Or that is has to be offensive.
Otherwise, I found the book to be mostly amusing.
Towards the end, the main character's teenage daughter had a crush on another teen girl, who was outed as trans by a ridiculous punishment from the school principal. This was handled briefly, but terribly.
I know this is fiction. And it is meant to be funny. But that doesn't mean it can't also be well researched. Or that is has to be offensive.
Otherwise, I found the book to be mostly amusing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2015
This is a story of a chemist who comes up with an artificial sweetener of which the side effects mirror the ills of our modern American society. By the time he realizes the extent of the damaging side effects, and tries to stop the production, its too late. The packaged food industry giants will not be stopped. Written in a satirical comedic fashion, it certainly has its humor finely tuned. It makes the reader think twice about those little packs of sweetener on the table. Its a perfect tale for our times.
September 17, 2017
Sweetness #9 combined two of my favorite aspects of a great novel: humor and thought-provoking ideas. There's something unique about this story though, and that's apparent right from the start, which pulls you in and doesn't let go. Perhaps it's Clark's willingness to not lecture his reader, but instead offer them a witty and informed prose that allows us to collect our own understandings. Above all, it's an incredibly engaging story and thoroughly entertaining—a must-read in our modern culture of anxiety, suspicion, and, well... chemicals.
December 19, 2014
Quite honestly, this was a tough read. It didn't grab me in terms of tone, structure, narrative arc--ANY of the reasons that make me enjoy reading a book. Plus, I'm already grumpy about food additives. And yet I kept reading. And after I finished reading, I couldn't the story out my head and it made me stop and think about our lifestyles and our cultural values. Any book that does that deserves at least 4 stars.
August 25, 2018
If John Cheever and Chuck Palahniuk ever teamed up, (and they were both in a REALLY good mood), this might be the book they came up with. I can't remember the last book that made me laugh out loud so many times, even as it descended into some extremely dark aspects of the story. Beautifully written and plotted, this satire has interesting things to say about our post-war values and how they have developed (or been developed). I can't wait to read more from this excellent author!
December 11, 2018
I've long touted that artificial sweeteners are poison. Here's a novel that takes that basic premise, brings it into the world of fiction, and watches to see what happens when one of those sweeteners is found to be a real problem. Read my review of this excellent debut novel here https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2014/08/1...
unfinished-reads
September 28, 2014I do ultimately understand why this book is getting the raves it is, but I think it's more that I'm just not in the mood for a book like this, especially one that seems to rely overly on sexual narratives in an outsized way to what I expected.
This is likely one I'd try to pick up again in the future.
This is likely one I'd try to pick up again in the future.
December 15, 2014
This is the book I need to discuss with someone! What did it mean? Is it satire? Does the author have an H.G. Wells-like ability to foretell our future based on bad science? In any case, I could not stop reading it even though at times I wanted to pick up a nice Georgette Heyer and lose myself in 1808. Will someone read it and talk to me?
August 4, 2014
Starts out great, and the more in depth stuff on the food science was really interesting- but section 3 just fell flat to me as the characters were so flat. I wish that the author had taken more time to turn the 4 family characters into individuals.
July 23, 2014
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It did not appeal to me much.
October 13, 2014
2.5 stars
Clever writing, interesting concept, just didn't do anything for me.
Clever writing, interesting concept, just didn't do anything for me.
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