"A Visit From The Goon Squad" hits too close to home for my liking. It deals with the passage of time and its effects, not always welcome. It hopscotches from one decade to another, completing a calender that spans the decades to the present day; it leaps from one character to another, completing the web of connections over the years.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jennifer Egan's book so why does it cloak me in melancholy? The author ably holds up a cracked mirror to reflect the inevitable fractured dreams her readers must have experienced as their own lives transitioned from blithe youthfulness to sombre adulthood. Since this occurs in a time frame runs parallel to my own and references that date stamp events are ones that also left a mark on my life, I couldn't  help but catch glimpses of my own life.

Not all is grey and brooding, however. There are humorous moments and the novel closes on a high; the mirror might be cracked but the individual shards can still reflect a beautifully intact image.

I give this a 9/10.