Anonymous wrote:I HATED that book. It was a self-indulgent load of wannabe-titillating loathsome garbage. If I were the author's brother I wouldn't speak to him either.

I understand this reaction, but I don't identify with it.

I just always go back to the fact that he lost both of his parents, in his 20's, within months of each other. His siblings were too screwed up to take on the guardianship of their youngest sibling and let it default to him. I remember feeling his devastation jump off the page. I would want to write a long, self-indulgent book too.

Anonymous wrote:I HATED that book. It was a self-indulgent load of wannabe-titillating loathsome garbage. If I were the author's brother I wouldn't speak to him either.

This was how i felt. I remember liking the first half. The second half was so self indulgent and garbage.

Regardless of the subject matter, Eggers had a really strong literary voice. AHWOSG was funny and full-on and really alive. If you wanted to know what it was like to be alive in SF in the 90s, AHWOSG completely captured it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATED that book. It was a self-indulgent load of wannabe-titillating loathsome garbage. If I were the author's brother I wouldn't speak to him either.

I haven’t read it, but the linked article certainly makes Eggers and the book sound insufferable.

I couldn’t finish the article. Awful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATED that book. It was a self-indulgent load of wannabe-titillating loathsome garbage. If I were the author's brother I wouldn't speak to him either.

Agree. I initially liked it but was DNF for me. Also read time if it’s release and was early 20s.

I hated it too, but thought that was probably because I was a 15 year old and too young to "get it." But maybe not! I thought it was navel gazing before ever hearing that term.

Anonymous wrote:I HATED that book. It was a self-indulgent load of wannabe-titillating loathsome garbage. If I were the author's brother I wouldn't speak to him either.

I haven’t read it, but the linked article certainly makes Eggers and the book sound insufferable.