![]() The structure of the novel is complex and at times disorientating, with leaps in both time and viewpoint between most chapters. However, this discontinuity is an illusion the characters lives intersect and collide continually amongst the chaos of their existence, evocative of the butterfly effect. ![]() ![]() The disjointed nature, though, draws out the idea of both physical and emotional distance, with many characters never able to reach their goals and living in a state of inner dissonance and disharmony. In loosely following a generation of characters and those in the periphery of their lives, A Visit from the Goon Squad deals with the passing of time and the fading of dreams and aspirations, a well-worn subject and one that is difficult to explore in such a fragmented novel. The result is thirteen short stories spanning over 40 years and held disjointedly together by a few recurring themes and relationships. ![]() At the novel’s centre are music mogul Benny Salazar and his kleptomaniac assistant, Sasha, but each chapter is written from a different character’s perspective, all of whom are connected to either Benny or Sasha in some way. A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010) is Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize winning, episodic novel about time and memory, cyclicality and fragmentation, and life and loss in an increasingly chaotic world. ![]()
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