I have a reading problem: I get antsy if I don't read. So even on a two-week vacation of Spain, I brought two books with me; one or them was You Shall Know our Velocity! by Dave Eggers.
I finished Velocity! in Madrid and was pleasantly surprised at how well it meshed with my then current situation. The story follows two late-20's friends on a one-week jaunt through Africa and Eastern Europe. The trip was supposed to be "around the world in seven days," but this proved impossible due to flight schedules and other obstacles. From one day to the next, these guys had no idea where they planned to go. They'd arrive in a city, immediately ask the bookings desk for a list of all outgoing flights, and buy tickets on the spot. This somewhat paralleled my situation - I knew exactly when and which cities I would visit, but I had no plan as to what I'd see or where I'd sleep. Granted, mine is a watered-down version of theirs, but we share a key trait: intentional lack of planning.
Eggers has a definite dry, wry wit that forces grins and chuckles. His characters have the typical jaded 20-something's outlook and behavioral patterns. They are insufferable, determined, fragile, adaptable, unpredictable, irresponsible, and wholly likeable. The reader roots for them even when they've insulted a local by violating a basic custom, like not spilling water on someone's clothes in the middle of a conversation.
The writing itself is straightforward and descriptive. Eggers takes liberties with creating fake words that give his characters a unique voice, "The man raised a finger to us...conferred with the three men...all heavy-set and mustachioed." 'Mustachioed'? It sounds like something I might think but never say.
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