Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The PlaceWe don't just mean New York City, you know. New York State is a big place, and this book runs all over it. Jules starts out in Underhill, a fictional New York suburb that she finds boring...
What's Up With the Title?
The Interestings has a pretty straightforward title. It very clearly refers to the tongue-in-cheek name the group from Spirit-in-the-Woods gives themselves, even if they only use it for a limited t...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
"While riding on a train goin' westI fell asleep for to take my restI dreamed a dream that made me sadConcerning myself and the first few friends I had" - Bob Dylan, "Bob Dylan's Dream""… to own...
What's Up With the Ending?
This last line is a heavy-hitter in terms of the title and the general theme of the book. Plus, it comes right after Ethan's death and when Ash gives Jules the book she finds in Ethan's study that...
Tough-o-Meter
This is a whopper of a book. But while the language isn't too tricky (Wolitzer is no James Joyce, thankfully), the jumping back and forth between time frames can be hard to follow. It's also a stro...