By which I mean (and By which I mean I'm referring to the title), this book. Pretty much. Put simply, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan was one of the best things I've read in a very long time. Stunningly good on just about every level. It was funny, sad, wise, touching, uplifting, warm, beautiful, witty, satirical, had a massive heart, broke mine and repaired it more than once during its course, and overall pretty bloody good really. It made me laugh, it made me cry and verily I loved it.
So what's it like then? Other than the aforementioned, obviously. It's like J.D. Salinger without the neuroses, Douglas Coupland minus the geekery, Jeffrey Eugenides with added zip and zing, Irvine Welsh with a bigger heart, Kazuo Ishiguro on speed, Nick Hornby with more sex and drugs (but no less rock and roll) and a whole lot more, as well as being itself. And like I said, pretty bloody good.
Following the lives of an interconnected group of people across different periods of their lives, it captures the moments when lives collide, seeing into people's worlds, the events that shape them, witnessing their failures, disconnectivity and disappointments, but also seeking redemption, nurturing friendships and finding happiness. The connectivity of the stories, growing and changing with characters as we move back and forth through time, and the genuine warmth towards the characters.
A worthy winner of the Pulitzer, absolutely no question in my eyes and the news that it's being adapted for TV by HBO certainly has me curious to see what they do with it. In the meantime, while it's in production, you could do an awful lot worse than reading. Go on, I dare you.
Book number: 95
Title: A Visit From the Goon Squad
Author: Jennifer Egan
Category: Pulitzer Prize winners
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