The Interestings starts in 1974 at a summer camp with six students involved in the arts. They decide their group needs a name and come up with “The Interestings.” I’ve read several reviews saying that the name is ironic because the book is anything but interesting. My take on that is the title is supposed to be ironic. Toward the end of the book the husband of one group member even tells his wife his friends aren’t all that interesting.
What made the book interesting for me is the way these six people – most of whom are only a year older than I am – went from their teenage years to today and the lessons they learned along the way, one of which is that what may be your passion when you’re 15 may end up in a closet never to be seen again by the time you’re 50 but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For me, parts of the book were a trip down memory lane to a time before AIDS, when being carefree didn’t have consequences, when I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do. But, and this is a sobering thought, readers in their 20s and 30s might consider this historical fiction.
Be that as it may, I liked the story. I didn’t like in a way that I’d get home from work, kick off my boots, grab the book and settle in to see what was happening with Jules. But it was an enjoyable read.
3 out 5
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