Review by Beaver (2004-12-11)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is Dave Eggers' autobiographical telling of the death of his parents and his subsequent times helping to raise his younger brother, Toph. Despite the deep subject matter, it starts off very whisically right at the copyright and acknowledgement page. Eggers has a unique voice. It reminds me some of Douglas Adams or Monty Python, but is much more self-conscious, neurotic and surreal (a little Adaptation-esque). The writing style is interesting and very readable. You learn a lot about the characters though little inconsequential things. The story can be a little too fragmented at times though with all the jumping around, and the ending is a little strange. The story paints a picture of who Eggers and his family are and is a nice ode to his mother and Toph especially. It is also a good look at dealing with loss and adversity and still succeeds as an plain old account of a young adult in the 90s. 8/10