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A review by tptimmons
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
4.0
A four-star read for now. Almost a five. Possibly a five after I re-read it.
The book grew on me. It crests powerfully, almost catches grace by the end. The first couple chapters almost turned me off. I mean, they were decent, but unremarkable and "placeable." Then the thing grew as the p.o.v.s accumulated, as did the weave of lives and details.
Part of me thinks with novel tops DFW's Infinite Jest as a marker of contemporary story-telling. Egan does the same "tornadic" thing with narrative (but not quite as grotesque as DFW), relies on characterization, and builds distopian touches into the background (much like G. Saunders did in Tenth of December). But there's richer human beings in this novel than in DFW. For example, what Egan does with kids and marriage nudges her past DFW. At least here.
The book grew on me. It crests powerfully, almost catches grace by the end. The first couple chapters almost turned me off. I mean, they were decent, but unremarkable and "placeable." Then the thing grew as the p.o.v.s accumulated, as did the weave of lives and details.
Part of me thinks with novel tops DFW's Infinite Jest as a marker of contemporary story-telling. Egan does the same "tornadic" thing with narrative (but not quite as grotesque as DFW), relies on characterization, and builds distopian touches into the background (much like G. Saunders did in Tenth of December). But there's richer human beings in this novel than in DFW. For example, what Egan does with kids and marriage nudges her past DFW. At least here.