A Visit from the Goon Squad

In “Ask Me if I Care,” Jocelyn refers to Bennie as a cholo and predicts that Alice will never love him because “rich girls won’t go with cholos” (42). Choose three characters in the novel and discuss how they are affected by their race or cultural background. 

How does Egan use technology in A Visit from the Goon Squad to explore ideas about humanity and time?

In Chapter 13, Egan uses the word “star” in a variety of contexts. What are some other repeated words or phrases that occur in various places throughout the novel? How do the shifting meanings affect our reading of the novel?

Much of the novel is concerned with fashion and trends in popular culture. Find examples of trends that shift during the course of the novel, and discuss how these shifts affect individual characters.

Discuss Egan’s use of humor in A Visit from the Goon Squad. 

Many of the characters in A Visit from the Good Squad undergo body modifications, while some explicitly choose not to do so. Choose three characters and discuss what their body modifications reveal about their identities. 

A Visit from the Goon Squad contains many references or allusions to classical mythology and popular culture. Choose three such references and discuss how they contribute to the novel’s themes.

Chapter 13 tells us about Rebecca’s concept of word casings—words that have lost all meaning—and gives examples: friend, real, story, change, identity, search, and cloud. Choose three of these words and discuss how their meanings shift within the course of the novel.