Fates and Furies - Book Review

So much buzz about this book by author Lauren Groff! I first heard about Fates and Furies at a Book Club Speed Dating session at Book Expo America. It was described as being a "dazzling portrait of a marriage" with one part of the story told from the man's point of view, and then something happens, and then it starts over from the woman's point of view.

I guess I had some expectations for what this book was going to be, including what the story was going to be and what the structure was going to be. And I have to say, it was not at all what I was expecting. I would definitely classify this book as "literature", mainly because the male main character is so pretentious and was clearly written by an erudite author. (I am so un-erudite that I had to look up the word "erudite" by Googling "someone with a big vocabulary".)

So, a beach read this is not.

That said, while I despised the first half of this book and actually considered not finishing it, the second half was much more enjoyable to read! The pace picked up, the female character was more likable than the man, and I enjoyed having the "secrets" revealed.

I do think this book would make for some good book club discussion. You know, what kind of secrets are acceptable to keep in a marriage, if any? Even if the female had tried to tell her secrets to her husband, do you think he was just too self-involved to even hear her? (Yes.)

Fates and Furies is published by Riverhead Books and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free ARC from Book Expo America with no obligation to review.