Dave Eggers is renowned for his fresh, surprising, and unconventional style of writing. YSKOV is not a traditional novel....the author was not interested in simply telling a story, but in telling the story behind the story. This is a book about people...how they feel, what they think, how they act, how they interact and how they respond to Life. He wants the reader to not only connect to his characters and empathize with their situations, but to also thoroughly enjoy the story that unfolds. In most books dealing with the theme of death, the reader will be treated to a grim tear jerker, the goal being to make him appreciate life and ponder his personal experiences in a new light. In this story, we are asked to ponder Will's pondering. There are no answers provided in this novel, no morals, no light is shed on the secrets of healing or Why Bad Things Happen To Good People. I enjoyed this book, it was sad, funny and deep, with a unique storyline that was easy to read. My overall impression of the point of YSKOV? - Grief is a heavy, heavy thing that saturates, destroys, and changes a person.... but there is always good to be found, even if one has to make it happen himself.

***All quotes taken from You Shall Know Our Velocity, by Dave Eggers, published by Vintage Books, copyright 2002.