Manhattan Beach - Jennifer Egan

[Guillermo Stitch]

Has anybody read this?

I think Jennifer Egan is a mesmerising writer. Manhattan Beach is more conventional than Goon Squad, and much longer. It evokes the New York of the Depression and of wartime with great success. It's been described as cinematic and I'd go along with that.

Particular strengths are its unflinching descriptions of the family's relationship ith a disabled and unwell member, descriptions and evocations of the sea and the seamless management of multiple points of view.

It seemed to me to have that kind of hyper lucidity you expect from a Christopher Nolan movie. Dunkirk in particular comes to mind.

I recommend it.

 

[worldofmutes]

Manhattan Beach was a beautiful experience for me. I read along with it to an audiobook which made it all the better… and it was just really incredibly done. Plotwise, I loved the mafia angle, and the protagonist slowly uncovering the mystery from below the sea.

I did read Look At Me, too- which was interesting. Haven’t read Goon Squad, but I own all of her books.