A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan is next up on our Bestsellers List reading challenge. This novel is a collection of loosely-connected short stories and won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011. Roberta wrote an excellent Writer’s Review, so if you haven’t already, please check it out.
This post does not contain spoilers.
A Visit from the Goon Squad* by Jennifer Egan
(*Amazon Affiliate link)
Difficult Read
I found A Visit from the Goon Squad to be a difficult read for a couple of reasons. First was just timing – our six-year-old granddaughter spent a few fun but time-consuming days with us, which included two overnight treks to Arkansas on each end of her visit. Needless to say, I had zero time to do any reading those eight days. I had started Goon Squad the week before, but found it slow going and only got through the first 2 chapters before that 8 day interlude.
Picking it back up after our granddaughter’s visit, I still found it slow going along with being really confused about the change of characters in each new chapter/short story. Which is the second reason I found it difficult to read – I just didn’t care for the format. Several times I almost gave up on it, but I continued slogging through and finished it Friday.
Mixed Feelings
I did like the book better towards the end, especially the last two chapters / short stories, but I certainly didn’t love it like Roberta did. At the end, I had many more questions than answers, and still wasn’t sure how all the characters were interconnected, nor could I even remember all the characters. It’s one of those books that leaves you feeling that you need to turn right around and read it again.
Time Is a Goon
The Bestseller Code showed us that the title of a novel is often an important component of predicting a bestseller. A Visit from the Goon Squad moves backwards and forwards across a 40-year time span, which I found added to the confusing nature of the writing format. It takes a while to catch the references to time being a goon, and much of the focus of Egan’s novel centers upon how the characters cope with the changes that the passage of time brings to themselves and their world.
The very last chapter takes place in a futuristic, post-war-on-terror New York City in 2020, and even though we are almost to that date now, it’s a scary thought that we are on the path to becoming the digital world Egan writes about.
Usually when I’m done reviewing a book for our reading challenge, I delete the book from my Kindle. I’m not going to do that with A Visit from the Goon Squad. Instead, I’ll be saving it to read again, carefully choosing a time when I have a clear schedule. Roberta’s idea of a flow chart for the characters is genius and one I plan to implement. I expect then that I will more fully appreciate Egan’s unconventional writing style and format.
Related posts:
- Book-beginnings, a discussion of the first line of the novel
- Karen’s review from a reader’s perspective
- Roberta’s review from a writer’s perspective
You can also join us on social media:
- The Bestseller Code 100 Pinterest Page
- Twitter: #BestsellerCode100
- Facebook: Bestseller Code 100 Reading Group
- The full list is now posted on GoodReads
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What are we reading next?
If you ever have questions about what we are reading next or when we’re starting the next discussion, check the 100 Book List tab in the navigation bar at the top of the blog. Links in the list go to the landing page from this blog where the discussion starts. However, this is an open-ended challenge so feel free to jump in with any of the books at any time.
The next book is number 54. Testimony by Anita Shreve (2008) – Discussion begins August 6, 2018
Mystery/suspense
