Add your review
Avg. Rating: 2.5
NEWS FLASH (San Francisco); Just because Dave Eggers writes it, doesn't mean that it's worth reading.
........
Agent: You took the first advance and went to Egypt.
DE: Yeah, I felt the need to ride a horse.
Agent: And then you changed publishers and took their advance and went to Costa Rica.
DE: Yeah, I felt the need to surf.
Agent: Dave, it's not like "The Producers"; you can't sell "The Next Big-One" to twodifferent houses, at least not more than once.
DE: Well, they offered. I'll do better next time.
Agent: Do you have anything, anything at all lined up?
DE: There is a box of stuff that I wrote in high school, my Mom's got it in her garage, I think.
Agent: Enough for 200 pages or so, with large font, big titles, and huge headers?
DE: Easy, yeah, no sweat. It's just pretentious, sophomoric, overwrought, and conceited; Did I mention self- referential? Or trite?
Agent: Perfect! Send it over.
DE: But we'll need a whole new layer of quote whores for the front and back covers.
Agent: And since when has that ever been a problem? The academics are cheap, and the SF Chron will print anything we send 'em for free.
DE: Do ya' think that the readers will think any less of me for tossing up such trash?
Agent:Nah, They won't figure it out till after they have paid.
DE: God, I love this business.
...
How We Shouldn't be Published
I, rarely, have ditched a book in midstream. But it was something I found myself doing with this one. I was looking for a Vonnegut look-a-like and I was sorely dissapointed.
Not really sure why I was pointed to Eggers though.
The book consists of several short stories that, I may say, are elloquently written (the only reason for the 2 stars). The main problem is, they never go anywhere. Each and every one of them have open endings that conclude nothing, finnish nothing, and lead aimlessly to the point where you would much rather close the book for a sense of closure than find out how it actually ends.
Left "Hungry"
Dave Eggers first caught the world's attention with the semi-autobiographical "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." With the release of "How We Are Hungry," we get to see Eggers in a slightly new light -- these stories possess his usual postmodern skill and pensive intelligence, but lack the gentle humor and wit.
In this collection, Eggers examines various people who try to escape their difficulties, whether climbing mountains or roaming through rural Scotland. These people may be searching for love, for glory, for release, a burst of adrenaline in the desert, or for just a fling by the beach -- however, their problems and pasts will not go away.
Eggers does occasionally dip into gimmickry, such as "There Are Some Things He Should Keep to Himself." Don't expect much -- it's a few blank pages, which made me smile. But I feel a little cheated. He's at his best when he's unconsciously quirky, such as a cute conversation between God and the ocean in one short story.
Eggers has done well in his past novel and memoir, but some of the themes of "How We Are Hungry" feel worn -- this man has a unique writing talent, but writers have to grow, and this writing doesn't show his mind or soul growing. The themes have not changed, and that lack of movement and growth makes it feel like he's just... stuck.
That said, Eggers' writing is genuinely compelling and rich; in his rambly way, he's incredibly eloquent. His descriptions have a raw energy that can take your breath away, such as riding a horse in the desert. At the same time, he can wrap his characters in so much finely-drawn misery that it is difficult to not be moved by them. It's also the one area where Eggers stumbles -- despite the whimsy of the occasional "gimmick" story, the writing is dark and rather depressed. I'm not asking for sunshine and butterflies, but it lacks quips, wit and human insight.
Those characters tend to feel like reflections of Eggers himself -- rather world-wear and melancholy. One woman, who climbs a legendary mountain in search of a purpose, is perhaps the richest character -- her inner thoughts are so real that they fly off the page. And she, like all the other characters, is hungry. Not for food, but to fill some emptiness inside that can't be named.
Perhaps it's that inner hole that preoccupies Eggers' work, and the endless search is what keeps it from exploring the world. Despite a hint of stagnation, "How We Are Hungry" is a rich and engaging collection of stories. It leaves me wondering where -- if anywhere -- Eggers will go as a writer.
Review this book
|
