suzanjackson 's review for:

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

5.0

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Each chapter is a separate but interrelated story about a group of characters who are connected to each other in different ways. Bennie, the center of the novel, is an aging music producer who still has the heart of a punk rocker. Sasha was his assistant for twelve years and is now struggling to control her kleptomania. One chapter went back to Bennie's teens, another focused on a character he interacted with back then. Some chapters are about various periods in Bennie's or Sasha's lives, while others focus on other characters who one or both of them interacted with. One chapter at the end even ventures into the future (ours and theirs). The novel gradually builds an intricate web of stories that define these people and their lives. It's all about connections, and it's an absolute delight to find and see those--sometimes seemingly tenuous--connections between the characters and how each person touched so many other lives. I love the writing style and the sense of humor. This will definitely be on my Top Ten Novels of the year list! I talk more about the book in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Mm_Tz6Fuk