A Visit from the Goon Squad

The opening chapter to the novel begins with the name ‘Found Objects’  this means that once the reader has read the full chapter only then will they come to find out that in actual fact Sasha has a problem with stealing and she helplessly does things which she cannot control. However from the name of the chapter this is not the impression which is created the adjective ‘found’ suggests that something has been misplaced or these objects are found by luck. It is only until you read on the reader will realise what is happening as the chapter name can mislead you, until the reader reads on to find out.

It is evident also in the opening chapter the use of italics ‘we live in a city where people will steal the hair of your head if you give them half a chance, but you leave your stuff lying in plain sight and expect it to be waiting for you when you come back.’ This is effectively done as it is as though the reader has access to Sasha’s mind and therefore this means that we can see how Sasha is trying to justify her actions and why she feels she needs to commit the crimes that she commits. For this moment in the novel we have entered Sasha’s way of thinking and Sasha’s mind.  This is done again in the first chapter as the word ‘take’ is in italics also, here again we see that the use of italics shows the opposite side to Sasha and this is the side which allows Sasha to steal stuff and persuades her to do this.

The introduction to Sasha’s father automatically makes the reader wonder why Sasha’s father disappeared when she was so young, and this also interests the reader to find out whether this story escalates even more and the reader is intrigued to find this out.  The fact that Sasha states ‘I have nothing to say’ clearly indicates that this topic is highly emotional to her and affects her a lot and therefore she does not want to talk about this as she wants to start afresh rather than dwell on past experiences.  Also on the topic of Sasha the verbs which are used to describe her when regarding the purse going missing includes – ‘Alex swung around to Sasha’  the verb swung suggest and shows that people automatically feel that Sasha is the one to blame and doubt whether she has nothing to do with the missing purse.  Swung suggest a fast movement and also an intimidating movement, therefore Alex is not completely sure whether Sasha has nothing to do with this.

The impression is created that Sasha wishes that she could control her hunger to ‘take’ the purse this is clearly evident as ‘Sasha wished feverishly that shed left the wallet there as if this were an impulse she had barely resisted’ this shows to readers like us that Sasha has this uncontrollable desire that she wishes she never has at it will always land her in trouble.

So, judging from the title of the book ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ the first impressions come on, we all have to admit are not very convincing, we get the image that the story seems to be like an episode from a cartoon program. This is not what young writers like us would like to see from a prize winning novel! Well… it wouldn’t come as a surprise to tell you guys that this is in actual fact an exceptional book with a series of interconnecting stories which are just as emotional as they are adventurous. Egan does a brilliant job of combining themes together such as kinship, time, memory and disconnection –which I would like to add, is a difficult task to do but it’s done by Egan like a walk in the park!  Thumbs up for Egan on the creativity level!

A visit from the GOON squad, goon is definitely the key word which stands out there…. Goon can be referred to someone who can be pushed around? Well deliberately done, by the award winning writer Jenifer Egan, as characters from this novel are in actual fact pushed around by time circumstances and even by those they love as Egan slowly reveals in the novel her characters painful pasts and future disappointments (this is the evidently the more emotional aspect to the story).  Each character is given just as much attention as the other however only a few are referred to a little more the other this is the case as those who don’t seem to have a great role or part in one chapter, they are then opened up and more is revealed about them in a new chapter this builds up readers eagerness to find out exactly what each character is all about and why they have been mentioned!

Imagery and as I mentioned before and also adventure is included in this novel as were taken to many places around the world where different characters come alive and a new story is told. This varies from New York to San Francisco via the African bush which already builds up excitement to see what the story includes! If you haven’t read your missing out guys, this is definitely a must read! What makes this novel stand out are the interconnecting stories which means in actual fact somehow these stories conflict with each other which builds up the drama and tension, and this means enough drama for all you drama loving peeps out there! Definitely not a boring read…

You won’t be disappointed with this novel, as it is definitely one you’re going to remember whether you like it or not. Its full of twists and turns and luckily for you guys it doesn’t end there you also have the odd formal tricks and devices which all work really effectively!  What more could you ask for from a book, personally I feel this is one of the best I have read, as it didn’t win a prize winning award for no reason! Don’t miss out guys!  

One of the themes that become evident in the opening chapters of the novel is the theme of inner uncontrollable desire. This is clear with Sasha’s attempt at trying to give into temptation of ‘taking’ things however the more dominant side to her takes over her and does not allow her to defeat her desires.  This is apparent as ‘Sasha felt a twang of terror’ evidently so here we see that Sasha does fear the consequences that might happen if her acts are publicised and therefore she is not fully happy and convinced that she should be doing these things. The fact that fear is created means that this act was not willingly done in the first place.

Following on from this point Sasha feels embarrassed at her acts as, to her they are uncontrollable and she cannot flee from the desire which builds up inside her – ‘I just – please don’t tell’ evidently here Sasha does not want what she did to me found out by anybody, especially by Coz as he is working hard to keep her away from this sort of theft. Sasha is putting trust in the woman that if her wallet has been given back Sasha’s acts will not be revealed.

Another example of the theme of controlling your inner desire is evident as, it can be suggested that Sasha is trying to keep her identity sealed and protected and therefore this is the reason which she has taken scarves from children. This is shown as ‘Look a scarf! A kids bright yellow scarf with pink stripes –too bad who could it belong too’ here the fact that Sasha has taken this scarf from a younger child can be done to move away from the person who she actually is and remove every item which is in actual fact her own which helps summing her up.  Other items which are also evident such as pens, binoculars and keys which don’t create a specific image of her.  The only thing which helps adds a little to Sasha’s character and past is the collection on her windowsill and the image she has of Rob who was her friend that died in college. We can see from this that Sasha herself has not had an easy life.

Also in the novel the desire to step out of time becomes clear when Sasha’s son has an obsession with pauses in old songs and these songs themselves are those which are frozen in time. This suggests that although Sasha’s son is in a different time period he does not listen to this type of music and moves away from the norm.