Paperback, 544 pages
german language
Published Oct. 1, 2005 by Kiepenheuer & Witsch GmbH.
Die Eckpfeiler der Geschichte sind autobiographisch: Innerhalb weniger Wochen verlieren Dave, 22, und Toph, acht Jahre alt, nicht nur die Mutter, sondern auch den Vater – beide sterben an Krebs. Was bleibt da noch? Die Brüder entscheiden sich, durchzustarten: Sie fahren mit dem Auto ins Abenteuer, nach Kalifornien, wo sie unbedingt ausgeflippte Nackte und Hare-Krishna-Jünger sehen wollen. Dave ist plötzlich nicht nur Tophs großer Bruder, sondern auch Vater und Mutter. Kein leichtes Schicksal, doch Dave Eggers versteht es, davon höchst komisch zu erzählen. In seinem Roman erweist Eggers sich als Entwaffnungskünstler, der mit Lesererwartungen spielt, sie aufs Witzigste ad absurdum führt, uns verblüfft und fesselt. Allein schon sein Vorwort ist ein »entwaffnendes Werk von unüberschaubarer Angreifbarkeit«. Jungle World
As a memoir this was unlike anything I remember reading. Eggers is a delight in his prose, and the way he crafted him and his brother as characters is inspiring.
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also …
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also in the running), I'll actually review it.
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also …
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also in the running), I'll actually review it.
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also …
I was at the Fremont Sunday Market and saw this book, it looked interesting, sounded interesting, and I loved the passages I skimmed, so I bought it, after finding the right guy to give my $5 to. Then I went to add it to GoodReads but didn't have it on me, and couldn't remember the title. I couldn't find it in the Pulitzer list, even though I was pretty sure it had a Pulitzer sticker on it, so on a whim I Googled "best books of the decade" and this book was one of the three covers on the first result. Google skills for the win. Once I actually read it (I'm currently in the midst of [b:Middlesex|2187|Middlesex|Jeffrey Eugenides|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266448283s/2187.jpg|1352495] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167352178s/22628.jpg|2236198], and [b:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|3985|The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay|Michael Chabon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1226235457s/3985.jpg|2693329] is also in the running), I'll actually review it.
I loved this book, and deeply resented every time he revealed a bit of truth and the wires he'd been manipulating the reader with, and loved it some more. Best damn footnotes in the history of fiction.
Sad to say, this is the first book I've read in a long while in which the main character sounded suspiciously like me. Which pretty much made this an awesomely uncomfortable read.
