Will and Hand, two young Americans, decide to travel around the world handing over large amounts of money to those who need it. This trip will, they hope, be an answer to the overwhelming grief they feel after their friend's death. But, as they soon find out, nothing is quite so simple.
You Shall Know Our Velocity
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Amazon Review
You Shall Know Our Velocity is the first novel from Dave Eggers, author of the bestselling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Although this is a work of fiction, its themes, preoccupations, and even its pair of central characters will feel strikingly familiar to readers of his unorthodox autobiography. Where A Heartbreaking Work… charted, among many, many other things, the death of Eggers' parents, this book's narrator, Will Chmielewski, is mourning the loss of his childhood friend, Jack. In the wake of Jack's death, Will, who came into $80,000 dollars after his silhouette was used as a logo on a lightbulb, embarks on a trip around the world with another old friend, Hand. They will not only make their wayward circumnavigation in a week--"we'd see what we could see in six, six and half days, and then go home"--but they'll also dispose of Will's lightbulb money along the way.
Flying from Chicago, these twenty-something, philanthropic Phileas Foggs (Generation Y's Bob and Bing, in fact) hope to start their odyssey in Greenland and finish on the top of Cheops pyramid in Egypt. Of course bad weather, visa regulations, the intransigence of airline authorities and "the unmitigated slowness of moving from place to place" consistently thwart their plans. ("Should we not have teleporting by now?" an exasperated Will asks at one point.) Journeying to Senegal through Morocco and onto Estonia and Latvia, the hapless duo devise increasingly bizarre means to, arbitrarily, hand money to needy locals. They try to pin wads of notes onto goats, over-tip pole dancers, hire cabs for minute distances and create a "real treasure" hunt, replete with map.
There is a curious unreality about how Will and Hand interact with the people they meet. Like Eggers and his younger brother Toph in A Heartbreaking Work, they've retreated into a kind of male adolescent fantasy bubble where the world is a largely a game for their own amusement. The idea of rich yanks dolling out cash willy nilly is, as Eggers is well aware, itself slightly tasteless. The narrative is however, almost mercilessly, metacritical--Will's every worry, doubt, and guilty reflection is taken to its nth degree. Eggers' self-ironising style is as infuriating and as beguiling as ever, but this is a far less tricksy book than his memoir. There are fewer typographical gimmicks and, while it would be impossible ever to describe Eggers' prose as restrained, his writing is less ostentatious here and for that reason all the more impressive. It's simply a quite startling and occasionally tender piece of work, buzzing with annoyingly magnificent sentences, ideas and jokes. --Travis Elborough
Review
"Headlong, heartsick and footsore....Frisbee sentences that sail, spin, hover, circle and come back to the reader like gifts of gravity and grace....Nobody writes better than Dave Eggers about young men who aspire to be, at the same time, authentic and sincere." -- "The New York Times Book Review
"You Shall Know Our Velocity! is the work of a wildly talented writer... Like Kerouac's book, Eggers's could inspire a generation as much as it documents it." -- "LA Weekly
"There's an echolet of James Joyce there and something of Saul Bellow's Chinatown bounce, but we're carried into the narrative by a fluidity of line that is Eggers's own." -- "Entertainment Weekly
"Eggers is a wonderful writer, bold and inventive, with the technique of a magic realist." --" Salon
"An entertaining and profoundly original tale." -- "San Francisco Chronicle
"Eggers 's writing really takes off -- his forte is the messy, funny tirade, stuffed with convincing pain and wry observations." -- "Newsday
"Often rousing ...achieves a kind of anguished, profane poetry." -- "Newsweek
"The bottom line that matters is this: Eggers has written a terrific novel, an entertaining and imaginative tale." -- "The Boston Globe
"There are some wonderful set-pieces here, and memorable phrases tossed on the ground like unwanted pennies from the guy who runs the mint." -- "The Washington Post Book World
"Powerful.... Eggers's strengths as a writer are real: his funny pitch-perfect dialog; the way his prose delicately captures the bumblebee blundering of Will's thoughts; ... and the stream-water clarity of his descriptions.... There is genius here.... Who is doing more, single-handedly andsingle-mindedly, for American writing?" -- "Time --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"You Shall Know Our Velocity! is the work of a wildly talented writer... Like Kerouac's book, Eggers's could inspire a generation as much as it documents it." -- "LA Weekly
"There's an echolet of James Joyce there and something of Saul Bellow's Chinatown bounce, but we're carried into the narrative by a fluidity of line that is Eggers's own." -- "Entertainment Weekly
"Eggers is a wonderful writer, bold and inventive, with the technique of a magic realist." --" Salon
"An entertaining and profoundly original tale." -- "San Francisco Chronicle
"Eggers 's writing really takes off -- his forte is the messy, funny tirade, stuffed with convincing pain and wry observations." -- "Newsday
"Often rousing ...achieves a kind of anguished, profane poetry." -- "Newsweek
"The bottom line that matters is this: Eggers has written a terrific novel, an entertaining and imaginative tale." -- "The Boston Globe
"There are some wonderful set-pieces here, and memorable phrases tossed on the ground like unwanted pennies from the guy who runs the mint." -- "The Washington Post Book World
"Powerful.... Eggers's strengths as a writer are real: his funny pitch-perfect dialog; the way his prose delicately captures the bumblebee blundering of Will's thoughts; ... and the stream-water clarity of his descriptions.... There is genius here.... Who is doing more, single-handedly andsingle-mindedly, for American writing?" -- "Time --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had high hopes for this novel, having greatly enjoyed Eggers's clever, intricate, self-referential A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. A lot of other people liked that remarkable book too, so I wasn't the only one wondering how he'd be able to maintain that high standard in the transition from a semi-autobiographical work to a novel.
The initial idea is promising: Will and Hand attempt to recover from the trauma of their friend Jack's death by travelling round the world giving away money. Characteristically, Eggers inserts a rider before the story begins, informing the reader that the narrator is now deceased too - i.e. the story is being told from beyond the grave. Not all of Eggers's daring stylistic tricks are successful, and I'm not entirely sure of the validity of this one as it felt more like an unnecessary complication which had been bolted on at the beginning in an effort to make the story more quirky - certainly, I didn't think of it as having any effect on the way I read the following pages.
The writing in the following pages is very good: I thought he was particularly adept at conjouring up the sense of wistfulness that travel in a foreign land can engender, as you look from (for example) the window of a speeding car at people, streets, buildings, animals and landscapes that you're seeing for the first and - almost certainly - last time. This was the aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most, as I found I wasn't all that interested in the adventures of Will and Hand: anyone who apparently thinks that they can just turn up to an airport in the Third World and complain that their expectations of being able to fly off to anywhere they choose aren't being met isn't doing a good job at exciting my sympathy.
The initial idea is promising: Will and Hand attempt to recover from the trauma of their friend Jack's death by travelling round the world giving away money. Characteristically, Eggers inserts a rider before the story begins, informing the reader that the narrator is now deceased too - i.e. the story is being told from beyond the grave. Not all of Eggers's daring stylistic tricks are successful, and I'm not entirely sure of the validity of this one as it felt more like an unnecessary complication which had been bolted on at the beginning in an effort to make the story more quirky - certainly, I didn't think of it as having any effect on the way I read the following pages.
The writing in the following pages is very good: I thought he was particularly adept at conjouring up the sense of wistfulness that travel in a foreign land can engender, as you look from (for example) the window of a speeding car at people, streets, buildings, animals and landscapes that you're seeing for the first and - almost certainly - last time. This was the aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most, as I found I wasn't all that interested in the adventures of Will and Hand: anyone who apparently thinks that they can just turn up to an airport in the Third World and complain that their expectations of being able to fly off to anywhere they choose aren't being met isn't doing a good job at exciting my sympathy.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By incuspo
Format:Hardcover
Eggers has to be one of my favourite authors! Ok so he's only written a couple of books but his style is fantastic. Will's (Eggers main character here) stream of consciousness dialogues with himself appear so honest and brave that it is almost as though you are inside his head. The realatiy and power of the language used and the blunt and almost desparate situations are so real that it is almost hard to believe that Eggers hasnt actually experienced this 'holiday' himself. A fantastic read that will have you pondering the make up of the universe and much more.
9 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
You Shall Know Our Velocity is Dave Eggers' follow-up to his Heart-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius from 2000. While I really liked his first book, it seemed to get rather mixed reviews. A lot of people whined about how "self-obsessed" he was, and how it was "just about his life," but come on, it was basically a MEMOIR, that was the POINT, what do you WANT him to talk about. Still though, I can sort of see what they're saying. Some people want books to be more plot-driven, and I guess if that's what you like then, yeah, you probably thought Genius sucked. What I loved about it though is how, through the book, you felt like you really knew Dave. He's got this great, easy, first-person style that makes it feel like he's talking directly to you. He's also totally hilarious, and occasionally has these moments of, just, total brilliance that make you cry and admit that, yes, he is a genius.
So anyway, I think You Shall Know Our Velocity might have slightly more widespread appeal than Genius did. It has a little bit more of a plot at least, it's not openly just Dave talking about his life. He keeps the extremely personal first-person technique though, and you get the feeling that a lot of the stuff he's writing about is again coming straight from his own life. The main characters are two best friends, Will and Hand, who are trying to come to terms with the recent death of their other best friend, Jack. Will, THE main character, the one telling the story, also has a lot of money he doesn't know what to do with. He has the idea that getting rid of all the money, giving it away to strangers, will have some kind of cleansing effect - get rid of the misplaced guilt he feels for Jack's death, make him understand things better. So he embarks on a one-week trip around the world with Hand, planning to give away $30,000 by handing out treasure maps and taping cash to donkeys.
I can't really explain why I like this book so much. It's like - you know how you want all your friends to write books? How their postcards and stories on the internet and notes taped to your door are great, but what you would really love is for everybody to write long, awesome, incredible BOOKS? That's what this book is like. You don't actually KNOW Will/Eggers, but it doesn't matter. He's constantly having these ideas ridiculously similar to ideas I've always had and doing things I've always wanted to do, and his writing style is just so personal, that you feel like you know this guy, that he's your best friend.
Staggering Genius was incredibly sad at times, and someone told me that Velocity left them terribly depressed, so I was sort of worried about reading it. The book focuses a lot on death, so it IS pretty paranoid and depressing at times, but I thought that as a whole it was actually pretty, um, "uplifting", though not at all in a corny or roll-your-eyes kind of way.
I would recommend this book to basically anyone who likes to read (and if you don't I hate you). It's hilarious but not stupidly and obviously so, and is also very moving at times. An all-around great book. Along with You Shall Know Our Velocity, I recommend The Losers Club by Richard Perez and of course Eggers first book. Enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't get on with this book
Let me start by saying, that I absolutely love one of Dave Egger's other books, 'A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius' so I was really looking forward to reading this... Read more
Published on 9 May 2008 by Ms. J. Elliott
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good fun.
I found the book to be an enjoyable read. These two men are essentially products of an era where there has been no real conflict or revolution in the world, at least not the world... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2008 by Mr. W. D. Black
3.0 out of 5 stars
Money to give away
Will, burdened with a large inheritance, sets off round the world with his friend Hand with the aim of giving it away. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2007 by Benjamin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sad yet funny, with shades of the beats.
I finished this book very quickly. It was an easy read and I was spurred on to the end. It is about two young men struggling to cope with their emotions surrounding the death of a... Read more
Published on 16 May 2007 by Bethany Williams
1.0 out of 5 stars
utter tosh!
This particular piece was unfortunately chosen by our newly formed book club, I have no idea what other reviewers are talking about?...with the exception of messrs z. folkmanis. Read more
Published on 21 July 2006 by Robin Stevenson
1.0 out of 5 stars
never been so bored in my life
it's a book where very little happens very slowly. A psychoanalyst would expect to be paid some kind of money to listen to something so tedious as this - why not just write... Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2005 by Mr. Z. Folkmanis
5.0 out of 5 stars
an american with a passport
So few Americans travel well that they're easy game for po-faced Europeans. In truth, few 'sophisticated' Europeans could hope to communicate the joys behind this book. Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2004 by 2cleverbyhalf
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth travelling with
You Shall Know Our Velocity was one of my more literary holiday reads and it's a bit of a road trip by genre: Will's dragging his friend around the world getting rid of a large... Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2004 by Stephen Newton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strange
This is an odd sort of book. It switches between being a story about 2 friends' adventures as they travel remote parts of the world to a psychoanalysis of the main character, Will. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2004 by Jamo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Full Throttle
For all my attempts at the classics I know I'm a neophile at heart. I don't know why but the sight of a new new book will always instil that thrill in a way an old new book, or... Read more
Published on 20 May 2004 by John Self
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