A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
"A Visit from the Goon Squad" is an interconnected collection of stories about a group of characters whose lives intersect in the music industry. The narrative spans several decades, tracing the characters' journey from their youth to middle age. It explores themes of time, change, and the impact of technology on human relationships and the music industry. The novel is known for its experimental structure, including a chapter written as a PowerPoint presentation.
The 421st greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 820
This book was first published in 2010
38 Lists
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- score: 1 -- Best Fiction Books of the 21st Century (So Far) - 2025 (Weight: 1)
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- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Love - 2013 (Weight: 1)
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- score: 1 -- Top 10 Fiction Books of the Decade(2010) - 2020 (Weight: 1)
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- score: 1 -- The 100 best books of the 21st century - 2019 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- A Century of Reading - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Greatest Books of All Time - 2022 (Weight: 1)