When I heard that Jeffrey Eugenides had a new novel coming out I pre-ordered it, so that I could read it as soon as it was released. The Marriage Plot arrived during fall break - perfect timing and I read it that week.
The story begins on graduation day at Brown University in the early 80s. We follow Leonard, his girlfriend, Madeleine, and Mitchell, who has a crush on Madeline, back through their college years and then the year after college. Learning how they all met and about their family and college experiences.
Madeleine's class on semiotics and interest in Victorian literature and Mitchell's exploration of religion read like a dissertation or class lectures on the subjects. Maybe it's because I'm in graduate school, but I didn't want to learn anything. I just wanted to enjoy the characters and the story.
There were parts of the novel that I really enjoyed. Eugenides can bring characters to life, making you feel like you are living their life and feeling what they feel. Leonard, one of the three main characters, suffers from bi-polar disorder and I felt his moments of mania and his moments of depression. I felt less connected to Madeleine and Mitchell. And it was clear that Eugenides was recounting some of his only experiences at Brown.
In the end, it was an interesting story but I don't think I will be recommended this book to many others.
