Time

Jennifer Egan's writing makes me swoon, but what I loved the most about A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD was her examination of time as reflected on a cast of characters over a period of forty years.  Egan chose to extricate pivotal, defining moments in the lives of these often disparate individuals.  The connective tissue, like puzzle pieces fitting together, demanded my full attention, especially when a tertiary character in one chapter was front and center in the next.  Time, the true goon in this story, compelled me the most.  Thus,  I was fascinated to learn I was Egan's precise target when writing the book.  "I thought the book would resonate most with people in their mid-to-late 40s who are feeling the actual fact of time passing," she said in an interview.  I feel it every day as I look behind me at the accumulated stories, experiences and connections that inform my life and anticipate the ones which will inevitably populate my future.