Reviewing A Visit From the Goon Squad

Michelle Lei

Reviewing A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 

A Visit From the Goon Squad Book Cover

~SPOILER ALERT~

A Visit from the Goon Squad is a work of fiction written by Jennifer Egan that was published in June 2010 by Knopf Publishing Group. The novel mirrors and reproduces the feeling of watching TV and it is a character-driven narrative. This means the novel is driven by the characters instead of the plot and the televisual elements work in conjunction with it. The novel begins with Sasha, a kleptomaniac, as the focalizer but shifts when she mentions her old boss, Bennie, who used to pour gold flakes into his coffee. The reader eventually learns that Bennie has dismay for the music industry, which he devoted his entire life to, and is recently divorced. The novel presents the past and future of each character by having the characters talk about memories or things people will eventually do. The use of Chekhov's Gun provides the reader with small, but important, pieces of information in each chapter that will eventually become more significant. The novel can become confusing if the reader is not paying attention to what is being presented but upon discovering each chapter takes place in a different time and place, each with its own significance, the novel becomes less confusing. The novel is geared towards a younger audience because Egan uses strong language and discusses sex and drugs. Egan breaks the barrier of what a conventional novel is supposed to be by presenting a chapter in the second person and a chapter structured as a powerpoint presentation.

The novel sets itself apart from the rest of the novels released at the time because of its narrative structure. The way in which the story is presented to the reader is new and innovative but also serves a purpose. The way each chapter connects to the next through a small detail or the mention of a person’s name resembles the way people think and the way people remember memories. This structure also mimics the way people tell stories and helps the reader gain a better understanding of each character presented in the novel. If Egan had presented each chapter in chronological order, much of the deeper understanding of each character would have been lost along with a greater appreciation for the theme.

The main theme in A Visit From the Goon Squad is the progression of time, but more specifically how people can struggle with the progression of time. The quote at the beginning of the novel by Marcel Proust perfectly introduces the recurring themes of time and memory. One of the characters in the novel, Bennie struggles with the passage of time because of his job and age. He has worked in the music industry his whole life and hates what music has become. He starts to reminisce about what music used to be and no longer feels the same love towards the industry that once captivated him. He wishes music was still what it used to be when he joined the industry and this wish to be in another time is exactly why he is struggling with the passage of time. Egan effectively presents her theme by providing the quote by Proust at the beginning of the novel and by giving all of the characters some sort of connection between time and their problems. The reader can successfully connect the quote back to each character within the novel and pinpoint their struggle.

Perhaps one of Egan’s best chapters in the novel, when it comes to televisual elements and understanding, is the chapter about Rob. Rob is previously mentioned in the novel by Sasha when she talks about her college friend who drowned. His story is told in the second person, which means the reader is presented with his deepest inner thoughts in an unfiltered way. Rob has depression, feels disconnected from his friends, and presents the reader with the fact that he is not a great swimmer early on in the chapter. Throughout the entire chapter, Rob feels distant due to the fact that he might be gay but does not want to accept it and he is jealous of Sasha and Drew. At the end of the chapter, Rob drowns and his inner thoughts are “As you flail, knowing you’re not supposed to panic – panicking will drain your strength – your mind pulls away as it does so easily” (206-207). This gives the reader a true sense of connection to Rob as they can hear his inner thoughts as he is drowning. The novel appeals to readers emotionally due to the character-driven narrative. As the reader gets further into the novel, they get emotionally attached to the characters and are invested in their storyline.

Overall Grade: A-