A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

By: Dave Eggers

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Dave Eggers scored a worldwide phenomenon with this memoir that topped national best-seller lists and has since become a staple for summer reading and book clubs. A compelling voice for Generation X, Eggers hererecounts his early 20s, caring for his younger brother after their parents’ unexpected deaths and his endeavors in a variety of media.

©2000 David K. Eggers (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Not just for the MTV-fan age group, this is a very entertaining, well-written book.” ( Booklist)

Everything that I wanted Catcher In The Rye to be.

Preface:

Not long before reading this book, I finally got around to reading Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. A book that is beloved by millions and is considered by many to be one of the best books written in the 20th century. A book considered to be one of the best novels ever written.

A book that I found insufferable. Mainly because the main character, Holden Caulfield, is filled with such inexplicable angst and prep-school self-inflicted torment that sections of the short novel are almost unreadable. I gave it three stars, mostly because I didn't want to suffer the collective wrath of the literary masses.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is everything that I wanted Catcher in the Rye to be.

Review:

Grief is a monster that all of us will face, some day. As death is inevitable, so is the suffering of those left behind. And, as each of us in unique in our own ways, so to is it how we grieve. Not only by loss, in general, but by the loss of certain individuals.

In the beginning of this crazy adventure of a book, Dave suddenly finds himself an orphan. The description of what his mother went through is...graphic. His father's passing, sudden. The rest of the story is the aftermath of the passing of his mother. Most of which is him raising his younger brother, Toph.

This book receives much flak for the author being narcissistic and almost remorseless towards the events that take place after becoming an orphan. A complaint that I would actually say fits the aforementioned Holden Caulfield more than Dave Eggers. He cares deeply for his younger brother. He just has no idea how to raise him. He truly cares for both his friends and remaining family, he's just not the best at showing it.

He is, in a word, human. Flawed. As are we all.

There are three reasons why this earned the top rating of five stars: how beautifully written it is, the excellent balance between humor and the heart-wrenching reality of grief that takes place throughout the book, and the narration by Dion Graham (I listened to this on Audible and am grateful that I took this route).

In closing, if you're on the fence about reading it - read it. Or, really, listen to it. You'll either love it or hate it. Either way, there's no way that you will forget it.

Dion G. should get an oscar for his preformance

"The author feels obligated to acknowledge that yes, the success of a memoir—of any book, really—has a lot to do with how appealing its narrator is. To address this, the author offers the following: a) That he is like you. b) That, like you, he falls asleep shortly after he becomes drunk. c) That he sometimes has sex without condoms. d) That he sometimes falls asleep when he is drunk having sex without condoms. e) That he never gave his parents a proper burial. f) That he never finished college. g) That he expects to die young. h) That, because his father smoked and drank and died as a result, he is afraid of food. i) That he smiles when he sees young black men holding babies. One word: appealing. And that’s just the beginning!"
- Dave Eggers

--

I'm not entirely sure about some of the clauses, but Dion did an OUTSTANDING job.
This book was on my shelf for around six years, mainly because I tried it once and couldn't handle it, and was too afraid to come back to it. Because it's scary. It's a tough one to digest, and that's even by listening to your own internal narrator. Preforming it takes some courage, and a whole lot of talent.
I can't even describe how wonderful this audiobook was. Sometimes it felt as if I was enjoying Dion's company over a drink, sometimes it was as if he was inside my head, narrating my own thoughts. His preformance was so passionate, so energetic, so on the spot, it's just amazing to me someone could pull it off. A true gem.

Incredible

The strangest and fun preface. The reader either figured out the author’s need for or was coached by the author in the fantastic voice of the reading. The locations were lost on this listener, but did not deter my understanding. Sarah Vowel previewing the book struck my ear. Thanks David “Dave” Eggers.

A story of Survival

I experienced some of the most heart touching moments in life, with the whole narrative turning on a dime and causing me to laugh out loud at what are normally extremely serious moments! That is where this narrative takes you!

Good book, fast narration.

The narrator narrates way too fast. I slowed down play speed but because the narrator goes so fast on normal speed, a .7 speed sounded like he was drunk. Love the book though. Forced me to read it rather than listen. Would give 5 stars (book) but for review on Audible, 4 stars for the audible aspect of it.

A Time Capsule

As a teent young adult in the 90's this book was written in a voice that screams 90's. My suggestion would be to listen to it at a higher speed than normal as I think it really accentuates the writer's intensity and storytelling. I enjoyed the preface being at the end as a tongue-in-cheek joke. I'll certainly be digging in to more of Eggers' work in the near future.

Stopped after 6 chapters...just not for me

I listen on the road for long trips. A friend loves this book. Lemme give you the story (spoilerish) Mom and Dad die, My brother and I move to California. Life is less than great. That....took..hours. No thanks, I like a story not a situation. Life is too short for this book.

Parts I loved, Parts I hated but Playfully Kinetic

There are parts of this book I absolutely loved. There are also parts of it I definitely hated. I think Eggers' talent is obvious, his playfulness kinetic, his abilility to make his own grief/history both gruesome and beautiful by basically eating every experience and person surrounding him (disposal of his mom's ashes is a good example). Eventually his thinking about the thinking and thinking about the thinking about thinking kinda drove me a little nuts.

I do want to distinguish my own discomfort with this early Dave Eggers book from the current jealous-hipster backlash against Eggers. Yes, my hipster MFA people, Eggesr isn't Henry James, certainly, but still he manages to subvert the artificial separation between fiction and memoirs in aHWofSG. So, just admit that part of your animosity towards this book is that you didn't think of it, write it, or end up actually being able to make a living/achieve fame from a book you wrote in your twenties (same feelings that bubbles up whenever a Foer brother publishes something)

I'm also glad I waited to read/listen to this until Eggers had proven through McSweeney's, and his more recent books of nonfiction and fiction, that he wasnt just a gimmicky one-hit-wonder.

Oh, and Dion Graham's read of aHWofSG was kindof amazing.

Amazing Story Bested Only By Phenomenal Narration

Would you listen to A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius again? Why?

Graham's narration of Eggers' novel fits so phenomenally together that it seems odd to imagine either existing without the other.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?

The moments when Graham's fits of emotional ramblings and swearing mirrors the brilliance of Eggers' ability to paint the ways in which many of us delve into constant inner rants and arguments. Eggers does this, "lost in thought" ramble so fantastically that it makes me laugh at the thought previously I was the only one whom operated thus.

Which character – as performed by Dion Graham – was your favorite?

Dave's inner dialogue is perfectly done by Graham, quite literally perfect.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me want to do both, over and over again.

Any additional comments?

The way the narration fit seamlessly together with the prose made me want to experience Dave's other books again through the story telling aspect that has been done by Graham. It has made me want to follow both their careers more than when I started.

Not a reading, a performance

Big kudos to Dion Graham whose spectacular reading brought this book to life
Also kudos, of course, to Eggers for pathos and humor in sharing his life