A Visit from the Goon Squad

This book was fun to read, which is good, since a lot of the story is rather depressing. It's like a puzzle – you've got to put the chapters in the right order as you read it. I think a lot of the chapters can even stand on their own as short stories. And I couldn't wait to get to the “powerpoint” chapter, which didn't disappoint. It is a depressing book, though, about getting old, and outliving the glory days. The future world that Egan presents is very bleak, too, and I can't really say that any chapter ends on a particularly happy note.

I love Egan's writing style, her descriptions are delicious, delicious mind candy that make me stop and think a lot. You can take awhile to really wrap yourself up in this book or you can read it pretty quickly and still enjoy the fast pace. But I took the time to re-read several chapters and really immerse myself in the characters' lives; I was sad when the book was over and I had to say goodbye, especially since I felt I had just barely been introduced to them.