A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

We are all probably familiar with the Ripple Effect – you throw a stone into a pond, and from the point of impact, a multitude of ripples spread wider and wider. Similarly, every chance encounter, every action has innumerable implications that we may not even be aware of until far in the future. The passage of years, and each choice made during that time shape our lives, and the lives of those around us. Will I be authentic today? Will I sell out? Will I tell the truth? Embrace change? Will I let time make me into something that I’m not ready to be? These are just some of the questions addressed by Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad. “It began the usual way,” page one declares. And thus begins what turns out to be one of the most unusual books I have read in recent memory. In her work of contemporary fiction, Egan explores the lives of a veritable cornucopia of eccentric, narcissistic, and sometimes tragic supporting characters.

The story is broken up into 13 distinct, but interrelated chapters. The stories span several decades, and cover the interactions and relationships of interconnected and occasionally only tangentially connected people and places, so there really is a little something for everyone here. Seems pretty normal so far, right? Well, this is where things get interesting.

While the story itself is certainly engaging, the most notable thing about Goon Squad is, in my opinion, the style of the writing itself. Egan vacillates between relatively standard novel writing formats, to a weird, edgy text-speak, and even into Power Point-style slide graphics. This book is a treasure trove of unique and interesting elements. Were it not for these notable elements, I would have said that this book was more or less like most book club picks I have read, and I would have hesitated to recommend it to anyone who wasn’t explicitly interested in the human interest-heavy general fiction. But, because of the unique and thoughtful use and execution of these exceedingly interesting elements, I think that Egan’s work elevates itself above “general” of any sort. It even overcame my book club recommendation-based malaise, and I feel richer for having read it. She opened up a whole new world of storytelling possibilities in my mind. 

Egan has managed to craft a narrative about the rich complexities of the human condition and the universal struggle of people to find their place in a world that cares about them alternately too much or too little. Each character has a laundry list of personal shames, both private and public, and they’re all just struggling to make it out the other side. If you want a cut-and-dried triumph of good over evil, this may not be the story for you, but if you’re looking for something more, Jennifer Egan has got you covered.

4 out of 5 items of slightly overstimulated rating.