Book Review (Canon): The Interestings

The Interestings

Written by Meg Wolitzer in 2013

The Raccoon: The Interestings follows the lives of six friends after they meet at a summer camp for the arts, from their teen years to their sixties.  The book centers around Jules Jacobson, an aspiring actress, as she deals with her envy of her best friends’ fame and success.

UNMASKED: In one episode (“Mortynight Run”) of the whimsical, sci-fi TV show Rick and Morty, much of the action takes place in an arcade that the two titular characters visit.  The main attraction at the arcade is a game called “Roy: A Life Well Lived.”  Players dawn a virtual-reality helmet and assume the identity of an average person named Roy, then live out his entire life and finish the game upon his death, at which point the player is thrust back into reality and forced to cope with the trauma of having experienced an entire lifetime of new memories and relationships in the span of about five minutes.

That is the best way to describe my experience reading The Interestings.

Although the first chapter provided a rocky and rather corny start, it lay the foundation for me to see the world through the eyes of the awkward Julie Jacobson, whose life is drastically altered after her acceptance into a group of friends who dub themselves “The Interestings” (and christen her Jules, a name which she keeps throughout the remainder of the novel).  I cannot help but be bothered by the fact that this was the last time the title or the vibe of that particular scene was referenced again in the novel, yet it clearly has a lasting impact on Jules, and it is incredibly interesting to see how she compares, consciously or subconsciously, the state of her life throughout important moments to how she felt in this beginning moment.

The allure of the book comes out of this: all of the characters face various, real obstacles, from having to give up on a dream career to struggling with depression; as well as triumphs, such as being reunited with a long-lost family member and being granted second chances; and their actions and thoughts are a keen and fierce reminder of what it means to be human.  Wolitzer has a remarkable wisdom of the sides of people that we aren’t proud of, as well as how inner character triumphs.  This is best shown in the character of Ethan, who confesses to Jules that he worries he will never love his autistic son as much as he loves his gifted daughter, and, who, despite his wealth, is unable to make a real difference with his charity foundation.

Although there are flaws with this book, I found myself wanting to defend it because of how much it has affected my worldview.  Reading The Interestings was a journey, and I feel victorious to have come through it with a new understanding of love, time, and acceptance.

Strong Points:

• The novel is entirely realistic without sacrificing story-defining events.
• I felt as if I was saying goodbye to my closest friends when I finished the last page.  Wolitzer allowed me to empathize with characters in situations I was completely unfamiliar with, a feat most authors cannot grasp.

Weak Points:

• Romantic relationships between characters develop unnaturally quickly.
• Most of the minor characters are one-dimensional.
• Not a weak point, but I’m giving this book a trigger warning on rape, depression, and brainwashing.  The Interestings understands that the world isn’t fair or even morally justifiable sometimes.
• The title is irrelevant.

Rating: 16/20 Figland spin-offs

Ideal Setting: Read this anywhere, at any time.  The Interestings touches all aspects of life.