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A review by melissa_cosgrove
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
5.0
One of my favorite books ever. Originally read it when I was 16, and now I’m 32, and I love love love it still.
Such an honest, raw portrayal of grief — and in a way I’ve never heard anyone else talk about it. Everyone talks about the sadness and anger, but Eggers includes how some of us have this ugly, embarrassing tendency to want to use that grief to our advantage, to use it as a shield, to throw it in everyone’s face while at the same time wanting to hide from the world. It inspired a lot of my own writing in the past couple of weeks, drummed up memories of my own dad’s funeral, things I’d long forgotten or blocked out.
And it’s wildly funny. He captures the other end of the seesaw of grief — unabridged, delirious joy — masterfully. The transitions between profound, beautiful prose and immature, hilarious brotherly antics were seamless. It had me laughing with tears in my eyes, pulling my heart right out of my body.
I fucking love this silly messy wonderful book so much it hurts.
Such an honest, raw portrayal of grief — and in a way I’ve never heard anyone else talk about it. Everyone talks about the sadness and anger, but Eggers includes how some of us have this ugly, embarrassing tendency to want to use that grief to our advantage, to use it as a shield, to throw it in everyone’s face while at the same time wanting to hide from the world. It inspired a lot of my own writing in the past couple of weeks, drummed up memories of my own dad’s funeral, things I’d long forgotten or blocked out.
And it’s wildly funny. He captures the other end of the seesaw of grief — unabridged, delirious joy — masterfully. The transitions between profound, beautiful prose and immature, hilarious brotherly antics were seamless. It had me laughing with tears in my eyes, pulling my heart right out of my body.
I fucking love this silly messy wonderful book so much it hurts.