juliasilge 's review for:

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

3.0

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This is Dave Eggers' tale of the loss of both his parents to cancer (of different kinds) within weeks of each other and then being the guardian of his much younger brother. It is a super smart book, I mean really REALLY smart-- overwhelming in its cleverness and self-awareness. I found the first half of the book more resonant and felt a bit more distanced and put off by the narrative hijinks in the second half. I'm not sure if the intensely creative, almost jokey style just got old or if the second half was in fact less arresting. I think ultimately this book is less about grief and loss than about crippling self-absorption. That's not really a criticism, because I think Eggers was setting out to write about being wrapped up in himself through (or perhaps because of) his life experiences. Glad I read it, won't necessarily pick up something by Eggers again.