A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Essay

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a great name for this novel because it is heartbreaking. One of the key features of this novel and one of my favorite parts is the way in which Eggers writes. He uses this stream consciousness writing style which basically means he writes what he thinks. This type of writing really connected with me because Eggers doesn’t just tell you what happened in his life but he makes you feel it. Much of what happens to Eggers is heart wrenching, made my stomach turn, and my heart pound. Eggers is the main character in this really horrific story that deals with the death of both his parents and his life afterward. I think that I liked this novel because it really deals with death in a very real and raw way. Often, authors attempt to sugar coat the idea of death and everyone who has ever experienced death knows that it is messy physically and emotionally. When the Egger brothers lose their parents so close together it really effected me. I had to wonder what would happen to me and my siblings if and when my parents die. Many people think that a child only becomes an adult after they lose their parents. I think about Dave and how long it really took him to become an adult. Dave has a really witty, and sarcastic narration. He writes and gives a whole lot of detail. I think when Dave talks about his relationship with his younger brother and more importantly his ability to parents it both humorous and also disturbing. Dave writes about things that were not only milestones in his life but also in mine. For example he talks all about the idea of exhibitionism and the idea of reality television. He writes about his experiences auditioning for MTV’s Real World. I think this is really important because I live in a world that really likes reality yet this reality television is real at all. I think that is what Dave’s writing really emphasizes – the idea of appearance versus reality. Dave really does a great job of catching the spirit of youth. The idea that young adults have all the freedom in the world to do and be whatever they want. At the same time we have so many societal pressures that can lead to misbehavior, addiction, and abandonment. This book is considered a memoir and not exactly an autobiography. He shows how the human memory works. It is not literal it is full of imperfections and non-facts, and full real emotion. Our memories, like Dave explains, are just as real as any real thing that has happened. Humans remember in exaggerated fashion, emotions become more intense or fade. In the end this is a story about one man’s memory of how he lost his parents and tried to find his life. This book is not beautifully written. It is full of grammatic errors, and run ons. But it is the perfect metaphor for the human mind, memory, and ultimately life is imperfect, heartbreaking, and genius.