Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
There's no denying that there is something excellent in Fates and Furies -- the language (while often unnecessarily excessive) is lovely, and the heart of the story (that a marriage is complicated, and even with a lifetime partner, how much do we REALLY know them?) is absolutely worth exploring. In a novel largely about a marriage, author Lauren Groff doesn't resort to infidelity as a plot device, which is also refreshing. And, in a nod to Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, the novel is divided into two parts (The Fates, and The Furies), each told by the perspective from one of the couple who are the protagonists of the novel. That's a neat and effective device. So, yay!
But ... man, did I have major problems with this novel - not so much as to discard it, but I thought about it. Some of my quibbles are petty -- am I really reading a story about a couple named Lancelot ("Lotto") and Mathilde? With other characters named Cholly, Gwennie, Ariel (a male) or a guy named Roland, but called "Land." Really? Add that this is a world where nobody just has a regular job, but one is a famous playwright, another seems to fall into Internet millions, another becomes a Wall Street trader (and a caricature of one to wit) ... I mean, it's just so precious.
The biggest issue I had was that there was literally NO ONE likable in the story, no one worth rooting for. Lotto is a genuinely well intentioned guy, but totally selfish in the fact he can't remember BASIC things that are hurtful to others. Mathilde has her secrets (some laughably over the top when revealed, making me wonder exactly what book I was reading) and almost every friend or relative of them is execrable in his or her own way. If there are redeemable characters (perhaps, Lotto's younger sister) they are trivial in the large scope of things. Add that in the second half of the novel, we learn one major secret of Mathilde's, then another, and a final shocker in the last few pages of the novel is so absolutely implausible that I would have thrown my book across the room if a) it wasn't on my iPad, which I love and b) I wasn't essentially done with the story at that point.
It's rare that I finish a book that puts me off this much, but it was incredibly well written and engaging, and there are moments of pure poetry (one junction where we run through the plays Lotto has written really worked well for me). The rest of the book is so pretentious it made me queasy - and if you aren't incredibly familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, this book strives to ensure that you feel like an ignoramus, because the metaphors and symbolism are rife, everywhere.
I can't recommend the book, though I simultaneously understand why many like it. But for me, it was definitely not one of my favorites.