Every once in a while, I come across a book that I just cannot put down. I am happy to report that I am in the middle of one of those right now with The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. You may have heard about the author as he penned the Virgin Suicides, which is more prominent as a film and Middlesex, which got a stamp of approval from the one and only Oprah. I started his new book rather reluctantly (I felt obligated to read it for some reason), but it quickly became engaging. Set in the 1980s, English major Madeleine is struggling to find a suitible use for her degree while juggling friends and suitors, Leonard and Mitchell. One might find all the mentions of radical French philosophers a bit off-putting, but the depiction of the three main characters captures the existential crises that often afflict recent college graduates perfectly as they struggle to find their place in the world. A word of warning … if you are looking for a book to replace the sunshine that the famously overcast Pacific Northwest is devoid of this time of year, you may want to skip this one.
-Karen
