The Candy House

Bix Bouton is a foundational character in The Candy House. He appears as a main character in Chapter 1, in which his tech success leaves him unfulfilled. As a Black man, Bix has endured racism and judgment, but he has come out on top. His company, Mandala, has changed the internet and, by extension, culture and society. He has a loving family and enjoys a close and unexpected relationship with his mother-in-law. But Bix is an intellectual who yearns for exciting discussions about the nature of life. His success has brought him financial security and fame, but it robs him of honest discourse. Bix disguises himself as a graduate student to participate in a discourse group inspired by anthropologist Miranda Kline’s pioneering book on algorithms of human behavior. This ironically exemplifies how badly Bix needs authentic social and human connection. Bix is a genius who has lost his sense of mission and ambition but is able to reclaim it after fostering human connections. Bix is referred to several times throughout the novel, though Chapter 1 is the only chapter in which readers see his perspective. The novel begins with Bix observing his son Gregory nursing and ends with Gregory’s perspective after Bix’s death from ALS.