A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan's book has come unglued in time. Each of its 13 chapters plays with the idea of time in one way or another. In one, characters zoom forward and backwards, I learned their life stories in short simple paragraphs. In another, a PowerPoint presentation gave me a glimpse into the future. Yet another was set at the tail end of the 1970's. The book pings around like some sort of time pinball, when I turned the page I had no idea when I'd end up. Breaking the rules of linear story telling was partly refreshing and partly irritating. I'd get comfortable with one era an then be forced to zoom into another. As well fleshed out as this seemed, I'd rather Eagan made the chapters slightly longer, just so I could dwell.
As much as Eagan uses time in the book as an unofficial narrator, the crux of Goon Squad is a story of redemption. She told me a story and proved that even the worst characters she could create were worthy of some sort of sympathy. About half way though the book, I felt a strong urge to watch the movie Magnolia (1999) again. So much so, I rented it on Amazon this morning. Both stories gave me a glimpse of the worst of humanity. Both stories showed me how that can be a beautiful part of human existence. The stories aren't to be taken lightly, this isn't a fun zippy end of summer read, they are meant to be savored. The chapters in Eagan's novel can be read individuality. Paul Thomas Anderson's film can be broken up and watched over a series of days. Both are split into acts making the experience easy to process. If any of my dear readers pick up this novel, or watch this movie, take time with it. Let it wash over. It's more of a marathon than a sprint.
With that being said, I'm now moving onto something a bit different. As most of my readers know I'm slowly catching up with George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. The next book in the series is A Storm of Swords. I honestly can't wait to get back into this series. It's been amazing so far.
Jennifer Egan's book has come unglued in time. Each of its 13 chapters plays with the idea of time in one way or another. In one, characters zoom forward and backwards, I learned their life stories in short simple paragraphs. In another, a PowerPoint presentation gave me a glimpse into the future. Yet another was set at the tail end of the 1970's. The book pings around like some sort of time pinball, when I turned the page I had no idea when I'd end up. Breaking the rules of linear story telling was partly refreshing and partly irritating. I'd get comfortable with one era an then be forced to zoom into another. As well fleshed out as this seemed, I'd rather Eagan made the chapters slightly longer, just so I could dwell.
As much as Eagan uses time in the book as an unofficial narrator, the crux of Goon Squad is a story of redemption. She told me a story and proved that even the worst characters she could create were worthy of some sort of sympathy. About half way though the book, I felt a strong urge to watch the movie Magnolia (1999) again. So much so, I rented it on Amazon this morning. Both stories gave me a glimpse of the worst of humanity. Both stories showed me how that can be a beautiful part of human existence. The stories aren't to be taken lightly, this isn't a fun zippy end of summer read, they are meant to be savored. The chapters in Eagan's novel can be read individuality. Paul Thomas Anderson's film can be broken up and watched over a series of days. Both are split into acts making the experience easy to process. If any of my dear readers pick up this novel, or watch this movie, take time with it. Let it wash over. It's more of a marathon than a sprint.
With that being said, I'm now moving onto something a bit different. As most of my readers know I'm slowly catching up with George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. The next book in the series is A Storm of Swords. I honestly can't wait to get back into this series. It's been amazing so far.
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