Arcadia by Lauren Groff

I have very mixed feelings about this book, so much so that I put off writing the review for a couple of days after I finished it while I thought about it further.

This is the story of Bit, beginning with his birth in a hippie commune in the 1970's. More than half the book is the story of the commune and its rise and fall, from its idealistic beginnings to its disintegration brought about by egoism and other human frailties. While Bit is nourished by the lifestyle, others of his contemporaries seem to be destroyed by it, principally Helle, the daughter of the leader and Bit's first love.

The rest of the book concerns Bit's life in New York City, after leaving the commune at age 14, and extends to his early middle age. It very briefly describes Bit's initial adjustment to the real world and his re-meeting and marriage with the damaged Helle, before a concluding section set in 2018. This final section includes Bit's relationship with his and Helle's daughter, a world-wide pandemic, and a long and graphic account of the death of his mother from ALS.

Thematically, the author seems to be commenting on the entropy of modern society and on the possible ways to deal with it. Her conclusions seem to be that just trying to change things makes a difference, that a small like-minded community can help (the Amish neighbors of the commune are frequently referenced), and mainly that the circle of family love can make the struggle worth attempting.

The first part of the book is fascinating, told from the viewpoint of young Bit in very concrete and immediate detail, particularly in his interactions with his parents. Although the writing is sometimes overblown and hints of the MFA Creative Writing tendency of over-reaching for arresting metaphors, it is often beautiful. I would actually have preferred that the book would have ended here.

The rest of the book seems rushed and "tells about" what happened rather than presenting a picture. Only the death of Bit's mother is detailed, and that account is needlessly excruciating to read for anyone who has seen a parent's decline, especially as I cannot see any purpose in emphasizing this aspect of the story. Bit's romance at the end seems tacked on and unconvincing.

All this carping about the faults seems petty, since this is a much better novel than usual, but I was expecting so much more from reading the beginning section that I became very disappointed in the ending sections. Also, I felt that the depiction of the state of the globe was overly dramatic and pessimistic.

I believe most people would consider this an excellent novel, and I can see why it was considered a contender for the Pulitzer. I'm sorry I couldn't like it more.