Exploring Jennifer Egan's "A Visit From The Goon Squad"

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Whenever there is an especially popular book, one thing that will often happen to it is that a lot of people will pick it up without knowing much about it at all, and while the author will certainly not mind all the extra sales from these purchases, the readers who realize the book in question is "not for them" may wish they had saved their money; one of the most popular books over the last couple years has been Jennifer Egan's "A Visit From The Goon Squad," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has been flying off the shelves ever since, but before you pick this book up yourself, you will want to make sure it is right for you.

When it comes to most books, it is fairly easy to answer the question of 'what it is about,' but when it comes to "A Visit From The Goon Squad," this is not exactly the case; essentially, the book is comprised of 13 short stories - but as these stories overlap and intertwine, they tell a comprehensive story of people, life, and America.

Anyone who enjoys diving into experimental fiction - or, quite frankly, anyone who can become enraptured by great writing, no matter what the structure of the story around it is like - is sure to enjoy this book, as it is masterfully written, and is certainly packed with entertainment and stories worth reading.

On the other hand, you probably will not enjoy this book if you are a traditionalist, or if you require the books you read to have a classic plot arc; this book will not give you much in the way of "protagonist," "antagonist," "conflict," and "resolution," and will not give you much pleasure if you need these things in the books you read.

If you are able to read the preceding paragraphs and feel that you might enjoy this book, the answer is that you probably will; if, on the other had, you are able to read the preceding paragraphs and think, "Eh, I'm not so sure about this book," you will probably be best to leave it alone!