Maria H
asked
Jennifer Egan:
I just finished The Candy House and, to steal the words of someone on the internet, I'm doing that inarticulate book hugging thing! I LOVED it!!! I also loved A Visit from the Goon Squad and found tighter links between the two than reviews suggested there were. While listening to CH (great narration, btw) I did pull out GS a few times. Love every bit!!! Now I'm searching for a character map of the two. Exist?
Jennifer Egan
Ah Maria, thank you for the lovely and generous words. There is no character map, but readers have drawn some pretty amazing ones that I'm thinking of posting on my website. The reason I haven't created one myself is that I don't want readers to feel obliged to keep track of anything--it's not necessary and can feel like a burden (sort of like keeping track of the relationships in someone ELSE's extended family!). On my website, jenniferegan.com, I do highlight connections between the chapters within CANDY HOUSE (in pink) and also to GOON SQUAD (in orange). It's not systematic, but can be fun. Thank you so much for reading!!! All best, Jenny
More Answered Questions
ingrid johnnson
asked
Jennifer Egan:
How do you choose the names of your characters? While reading Manhattan Beach I was drawn to the name Dexter Styles, and I'm curious how you found this name. (Also...you might enjoy this, I am in a book club in Berlin (Germany), and we will be discussing your book this Wednesday.)
Ivan Solas
asked
Jennifer Egan:
As a fan of cerebral Sci-Fi, I still regard the "Pure Language" chapter of "A Visit from The Goon Squad" as one of the best pieces I've ever read. Your vision of the evolution of language and the increasing difficulty of dialogue between old and new generations feels spot-on. Did you plan the storyline to step into the future from the beginning, or did it come as a realization once you were wrapping up?
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