I've read two of Jennifer Egan's other books and had read good things about A Visit from the Goon Squad, so I was excited when it came out in paperback.
However, as I started reading the novel, I remembered the feeling I had with the other two books - like you are the straight-laced dorky kid in school who is getting a glimpse into the edgy world of the too cool for anything ordinary kids. And I, for one, like not to feel that uncool.
Egan introduces a new voice in each chapter and though they are all connected it is sometimes so tangentially that takes some work to put it all together. None of the characters are all that likable - not Benny, the aging rock producer or Sasha, the kleptomaniac assistant turned artist mom or any of the other characters who crossed their paths over the years.
And the last chapter set in a paranoid post-9/11 New York was disturbing with its bleak, Big Brother-like descriptions.
If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, I would recommend this book. If you want to retain the illusion that you are cool, you might want to skip it.
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