What Is the What
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YUP, THIS IS VERY GOOD. Dave Eggers has range out the wazoo. I’ve read two of his books: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, a memoir, and The Circle, a dystopian novel. I lovvvved the former and didn’t like the latter, but real can still recognize real- he’s got cross-genre chops.
What Is the What is technically a novel, but I’d describe it more as a ghostwritten memoir. Dave tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys displaced by the Second Sudanese Civil War from 1983-2005. Dave really captures Valentino’s voice and tells his fascinating/horrifying story through a creative blend of fiction and non-fiction. It reminds me of Tim O’Brien speaking about his book The Things They Carried. He uses fiction to write about his war experiences in order to convey a deeper truth, because sometimes the literal retelling of events don’t do it justice. Valentino’s story is long, winding, and harrowing, so Eggers sometimes uses (Valentino-approved) fictional devices to make the story truly come to life.
He also moves back and forth in time, creatively interweaving the narratives of Valentino’s past struggles into his present day. Not only did that make the story more engaging, it also gives us readers access to a bigger picture– what happened to him back then and how that affects him today. It also contributes to a tension throughout; you might have to wait a bit for the resolution of a particularly painful recanting.
Overall, this book really captures the refugee and immigrant experience. It’s an extremely sad subject (if you’ve ever read A Long Way Gone, then you know how heart-wrenching this war was, especially for kids) made palatable by the poignant writing. It wasn’t unbearably sad to read because I was rooting so hard for Valentino, feeding off of his own hope and perseverance.
Lastly, I’d like to issue a PSA: There are civil wars that have occurred outside of America. Us Americans really are up our own butts. I read What Is the What during a visit to Charlottesville (shout out), and in TWO SEPARATE INSTANCES, an older gentlemen asked what I was reading and incorrectly assumed that the book was about the American Civil War. They must have left their hearing aids at home because even when I emphasized ~Sudanese~ they continued to gab about Gettysburg and muskets and all that jazz. It begs the question— are middle-aged men okay?
Read this book. I’m sorry that it’s not about our Civil War, but I think we can make an exception. What Is the What receives 5 out of 5 flames.
