The Interestings

The Interestings

book

2013

WISE
80%

WISE Score

3.9

Amazon

A sprawling look at what happens when the 'gifted' kids grow up and realize that being 'interesting' is a lot harder than it looked at summer camp.

Amazon3.9
Common Sense Media

Where to Read

Amazon
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Libby
Libby

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Screenwise Verdict

The Interestings is the kind of book you read when you're feeling a bit reflective (or maybe a bit jealous of your high school rival's LinkedIn). It’s brilliant, dense, and occasionally painful in its accuracy about how life wears us down.

For parents, this is a top-tier 'me-time' book. It’s not 'brain rot'—it’s the opposite. It’s a sophisticated exploration of why we are the way we are. Just keep it on your nightstand rather than the family bookshelf; the sexual content and mature themes are woven into the fabric of the story and aren't meant for kids.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults or very mature older teens (17+). While it starts at a summer camp, the story quickly moves into the complexities of marriage, career failure, and middle-age regret that will bore or confuse younger readers.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
62

It captures the deep, messy bonds of lifelong friendship, but it's far from 'clean.' It deals with the envy, disappointment, and moral compromises of adulthood in a way that is emotionally honest but occasionally cynical.

Imaginative
74

Set against the backdrop of an artsy summer camp and the world of animation, it celebrates creativity and the 'spark' of talent, even as it explores what happens when that spark fades.

Safe
52

This is an adult novel. It contains frank depictions of sex, drug use, the AIDS crisis, and a significant plot point involving a sexual assault. It's safe for grown-ups, but not something you want a middle-schooler picking up without a heads-up.

Enriching
91

Wolitzer is a master of the human condition. The book offers profound insights into class, talent, and how we reconcile our teenage ambitions with our adult realities. It’s a workout for your empathy and self-reflection.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Deeply perceptive about the 'frenemy' dynamics that happen when one friend gets rich and the other stays average.
  • Captures the specific nostalgia of 1970s summer camp culture perfectly.
  • Meg Wolitzer's prose is sharp, funny, and doesn't pull punches about how annoying creative people can be.
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What to Watch For

  • Heavy adult themes including sexual assault, the reality of the AIDS epidemic, and terminal illness.
  • It’s a long read—over 400 pages—and focuses more on character internal monologues than fast-paced plot.

Conversation Starters

  • "Do you think the 'talented' kids at school are actually the ones who end up most successful?"
  • "Is it possible to stay best friends with someone if your lives take completely different paths financially?"
  • "How much of our identity is just a carry-over from who we were at fifteen?"

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