Eggers’ themes are not new, but he explores them with a fascinating style and viewpoint uniquely his own. Hologram is ultimately a postmodern parable about the alienating, dehumanizing effects of globalization and technology. While Eggers’ novel may lack in action, it makes up for this deficit with its integrity of ideas and characterization. Nonetheless, the entire premise of Hologram is built around an anticipated event that may or may not occur, much like the plot device of Godot’s expected arrival in Beckett’s play. Sure, the plot here is a little thicker than Waiting for Godot’s, Beckett’s masterpiece in which, famously, nothing happens … twice. A Hologram for the King is a minimalistic tragicomedy about a man who does a lot of waiting around. It’s no coincidence that Dave Eggers’ latest novel starts with a quote from Samuel Beckett, the great master of the Theatre of the Absurd.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |