Curriculume Vitae is a very reflective novel. Part novel, part memoir, Hoffman's life account is delivered in 100 vignettes reminiscent of the Japanese zen koan form. The narrator makes observations on big moments and small (almost mundane) ones, which begs the question: Why do we remember the things we do?
The kaleidoscopic fragments of the book are accompanied by Hoffman's own line drawings, abstract doodles that are often literal and funny. The usual story devices are absent here - there's no real plot, nothing to be resolved, just a life lived. It's a quick read; I finished it in one afternoon with appreciation for Hoffman's spare prose that is almost poetic in language.