What did you think of Fates and Furies?

Picture from Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes retrieving a book can be just as special as the actual book. This is the case of Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. I was home for the holidays–like actually Home with a capital “H.” It had been a gazillion years since I’d been in the Pacific Northwest for Christmas. Pretty much everywhere I went included a stop in a Stateside bookstore–they are all (even the conglomerate Barnes and Noble) so lovely to me. In Seattle, a must stop was to Elliot Bay Book Company. (Promise if you ever go to Seattle, that you will include this destination on your itinerary.) When we arrived, I cannot explain the physical feelings that pumped through my veins: it was half relaxful bliss tainted with extreme anxiety because I wanted to devour the entire place. It’s stunning!

Because I value personal book recommendations, I marched right up to the desk. I explained to the young lady that I was a high school librarian, so I read a lot of YA, yet I was yearning for a good adult fiction book. Immediately she recommended Fates and Furies. Once it was in her hands being passed to me, another employee–or shall I say reader, stopped and said, “Oooh, that was so good!” This title was also in her current top recommendations. With a quick referral to Goodreads and a high rating, I was sold–although I was sold before the inquiry.

This is what they told me: the book is about a marriage. The first half of the story is from the husband’s perspective; the second half is from the wife’s. This much is true, and without any spoilers I will say a little bit more…

This book explores what is unknown between two people. Not knowing something about a spouse isn’t considered a lie, right? But is withholding information about oneself a lie? Or is it a protective measure. With Lotto, the husband, and Mathilde, the wife, there’s so much about one another that they don’t know. So many of their omissions might have changed the path of their marriage. As a married woman, this book caused me to wonder: are there things that my husband doesn’t know about me that would impact how he feels about me? And, equally vice versa with him–if he knew about that one time that I….

It had been a while since I’d read a book with literary merit, and this is definitely a title that’s being talked about. (Fates and Furies was a 2015 National Book Finalist.) I really liked it–despite not really relating to any of the characters. This book caused me awe; I was left amazed by how an author can so cleverly craft and connect a story. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to read something fascinated by the pathway of life and the intricacies of relationships.

Have you read Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff?
What did you think? Let’s talk about the book in the comments below–you know, like a book club but online.