The thing I love about Dave Eggers is everything. There is not one thing I dislike about this man. His writing in particular, is catchy, exhilarating, fun, amusing, exotic, and bewildering; plus about 10,000 adjectives that I don't even know but all mean 'awesome'. He's like a genius or something. I got into Eggers when my best friend bought "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," and then bought a copy for me on my 20th birthday. This book revived our love of words. Dave Eggers resuscitated our deep love for verbage that grabs your hand and yanks you out of your seat and drags you, not unwillingly, along on his tour through all of the cobwebbed edges of his mind. And you're never disappointed. Ever. At least I'm not. And I'm the one that matters here.
Since the only description given on the book is, "$32,000 must be given away in a week, around the world. But why?", and I didn't even read that until I was just about to open it for the first time, I knew nothing about it. Kind of fitting for the challenge. The book recounts Will's quest to give away his windfall of cash on a tour around the world with his good friend Hand, after the untimely and totally unforeseen death of their friend Jack. 100 books in a year, around the world in a week; not too far fetched (and starting on Columbus day!). The boys encounter some trouble in the execution of their travel plans, as none of the countries they want to travel to have flights in or out of them without hours/days wasted in layovers and in countries that don't matter to them, and those pesky things called visas. Their final itinerary looked something like this:
Chicago to NY to Greenland
Greenland to Rwanda
Rwanda to Madagascar
Madagascar to Qatar
Qatar to Yemen
Yemen to LA to Chicago
But upon realizing none of that was possible, they opt to schedule just their return flight from Cairo and figure out the rest along the way. Greenland was too windy so they end up in Senegal. From Senegal they travel to Morocco, England, Estonia and Latvia; along with many cities and destinations that were reached by car, before flying to Copenhagen to catch their separate flights to separate final destinations. Along the twisted roads, Will's inner dialogue, which consists of conversations he holds with people nearby but in his head, fill in the details of his past few months. We learn why Will is temporarily slightly disfigured, why Hand's nickname is Hand (other than the fact that 'Hands' sounded too much like someone who would want time alone with your children), and Will's admiration of Winston Churchill. We also start to feel the pull of Will's reality; how awful he feels with all of this money, all of this weight, thrust upon him and unable to move. He's paralyzed by guilt and a feeling that all the horrible things that are happening are recompense of being a bastard as a kid; pushing people too far, breaking too many bounds with no countenance. He's backing himself into a corner , but he's constructed the walls himself.
Although not to his extent, I have recently felt dead ended, pressured upon by those who aren't living my life, can't make my decisions; I was immobile, travelling in a decrescendo. Eggers' grasp of language allows for seemingly ordinary emotions, feelings, to take on a whole new meaning and texture. Things that are old seem new, events that are commonplace seem adventurous and exciting. His way of stating facts becomes so witty, you wish you were able to speak the tone in daily life. And the use of illustrations (in both works I've read), is spot on. Graphics and blueprints that seem so silly, but express the urgency with which Eggers wants you to receive his vision. I enjoy these because it states, "this is not open to interpretation. This is how I envisioned it, and so shall you, reader." Eggers illuminates all 351 pages with colorful wit and an exciting tone that grabs you right from the beginning. "Y.S.K.O.V." is a breathtaking read, and in my opinion, a very optimistic start to my yearlong journey to dominate my brain.
Any suggestions?
[Some quotes...
"We would oppose the turning of the planet and refuse the setting of the sun."
"When did planes get so slow?"
"Qatar, in a ludicrous show of hubris for a country the shape and size of a thumb, wanted a visa that would take a week to process." *I've never seen 'hubris' used outside of Greek mythology, and he does it beautifully.*
"I wondered how loudly I could hang up." *You've had that feeling. I know I have.*
"Use contradictions, goddammit. You sound like an alien."
"Janet Jackson was tinkling from the speakers, asking what we had done for her as of late."
"We gave up on taping money to animals. We were now looking for people."
"The day had been long, and I wanted beer. I wanted four beers and many potatoes, then sleep."
-"I don't feel bad about that," Hand said.
-"I hated that fucker."
"I don't know. I don't think he'll keep it. He seems like the kind of guy who'd give it to someone else. He was like someone out of Middle Earth - a man and his staff, walking through the countryside in the middle of the night."
"Hand slapped the counter. I feared he would whoop."
"Put that heave into a small velcro pocket in the parachute pants of your soul."
"No one knew just how to dance to 'Stairway to Heaven.' Some continued to hobble slowly, ignoring the quickened pace, the sudden urgency, all the screaming, while most people started bouncing a little, jumping in place, maybe a little air guitar, anything. It's just the wrong song for dancing; that's the lesson there." *Truth.*]
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