Liz

“Sure, everything is ending,” Jules said, “but not yet.”

“A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan is about being young and getting older and brought back so much nostalgia for the grunge days of my youth in the 90s. And of course, interconnected short stories! It's a beautiful way to structure an expansive narrative to show perspective and navigate scope without overwhelming the reader. And the wonderful characters are certainly no goons. They're all rock gods in their own right.

This novel was pure therapy. A compelling narrative set in an Irish maternity ward during the Spanish flu about women bonding over the struggle of childbirth and women helping other women. I felt a connection with these characters as we navigate through our respective pandemics. The fact that this novel also read like a thrilling hospital drama is

TW: sexual assault of a child, incest, cannibalism, child abuse

I couldn't put this book down! The main character is just as compelling as the one in Convenience Store Woman but what in the world is happening in this story??!! It's all really over the top and takes everything to the next level.

Unforgettable and truly terrifying. This is modern female gothic at its very best. Excited to read more of her work.

I really like the concept and tried to find some allegorical connection but I just couldn't connect with the characters and felt very distanced from them.