Interview with Myself

This book just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Yet, for some reason, I really like it. In the middle of one chapter, Eggers describes how he auditioned for a part in a reality TV show in an attempt to gain enough fame to make the magazine him and his friends design more popular. In a round-about way, he manages to begin by describing the actual interview for the part, but end by conducting an interview with himself. In this format, he manages to include all sorts of information about his childhood that he had trouble fitting into the book earlier. He even addresses the motif in the the interview!

"So tell me something: This isn't really a transcript of the interview, is it?
No.

It’s not much like the actual interview at all, is it?
Not that much, no.

This is a device, this interview style. Manufactured and fake.
It is.

It's a good device though. Kind of a catchall for a bunch of anecdotes that would be too awkward to force together otherwise.
Yes."

Personally, I thought this was brilliant. A mixture of Cornell Notes and story time that somehow still manages to get the point across. So, here I go making connections again. I figured it would be interesting to make my own version of an interview. I won't pretend to have as fascinating a life as the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (read the book if you're going for the entertaining version), so I will instead conduct an interview with myself about the book!! Not exactly staggering genius, but I thought it was a clever idea.

So, what exactly is your impression of the author?

He is insane. I really like him, but he's crazy. He takes this depressing story of his life but turns it into something funny, dark, and a bit inappropriate. I want to read more by him, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a break after this book. It’s great, but one can only take so much chaos.

Chaos? What do you mean by "chaos?"

I mean that the book makes very little sense. There is a basic theme - this guy's life. But the plot isn't exactly linear. Things jump around and it’s impossible to tell which parts are real. Sometimes, Eggers writes about his little brother having these philosophical conversations with him that go far beyond the persuasive capacity of a twelve year old. Conversations last for pages, but you have trouble telling who is talking and quite often, what they are even talking about.

If it’s so hard to understand, why bother reading the book?

Well first of all, I have to read something. It’s a requirement for this class. However, I'm glad I chose this book. It’s worth the time it takes to understand just because it makes you look at things differently. The regrets Eggers has make me take another look at how I treat my own family and his positive, sarcastic, and somehow morbid attitude towards his problems makes me reconsider how big my problems really are. It’s interesting and different. Great book.

You'd recommend it then?

Well, yes and no. On a personal level, I love it! I'm not so sure that I'd put it on a must read list for every high school student, however. You've got to be a particular type of person to enjoy it. Do you want the book you read to make sense? If so, don't read this book. Do you want a sappy and advice filled tale about death, along the lines of The Last Lecture or Tuesdays with Morrie? If so, don't read this book. Basically, I recommend A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius to those who want to read something different, hilarious, dark, angry, and just plain bizarre.