What a book. I didn’t want to put it down, I didn’t want to stop reading it, and it’s been a while since I had a book do that for me.
I am very picky when it comes to reading, and the truth is, I was bored of this book when I started. I put this down to state of mind, rather than the book itself, because the book grows with a snowball effect engrossing you into the story.
Jack died, and Will and Hand decide to take the $38,000 they now have and spend it by traveling around the world and giving it all away. They intend to do this in a week, and have a plan all set out. They decide their connections, the places they will go, and, initially, randomly give away money in random amounts.
The back story is Jack’s death. It’s effect on Will and Hand. The three were best friends since they were young, and Jack’s tragedy had broken them. They had dreams of growing old together, to live near each other, and watch their kids, and their grand kids grow old together. Being involved in trying to save Jack’s life only made their lives harder. It had left a gaping whole in their existence, because whenever they did anything, they were aware Jack was not around, and the guilt of not being able to save him, or to be there in time lives with them for life.
Will feels the greatest guilt, and felt closer to Jack than he did Hand. His turbulent relationship with his second best friend is made clear in the book, and how he feels betrayed by the trust of Hand. Will’s grudge against the world, against Hand, stems from Jack’s death, and also comes from his own “accident” when Hand was not around. Blaming Hand, just as he blames himself for Jack, Will tries to transfer his anger and bitterness to Hand.
On the one hand, he has a conversation which is verbal, and on another level he is having a more honest and blunt conversation in his head
Hand is the adventurer, the one who wants to live and continue living. He is also the quieter when it comes to discussing Jack, unable to cope with the reality of his death in more aggressive ways than Will does. As Will deals with it in his own head, torturing himself mentally. Hand represses his feelings, letting them out occasionally. The platonic love between the three has been shattered, and has caused a wave of unrest between the remaining two. An unmentioned understanding, that neither speaks about, which, ironically, keeps them together.
Their adventure, as expected, does not go to plan. Their intended destination and plan out of the window, Will and Jack try to catch whatever flight they can whenever, wherever. With only a week, they need to figure out to get rid of all the money while going wherever they need to. Neither wants to say, or has any idea of why they are doing this. The underlying motivation, is perhaps they couldn’t use the money to save Jack, and perhaps giving it away was some indication of freeing themselves of that burden, of that money.
The book is narrated by Will, after the death of his mother and himself, and in that sense much it is in some retrospective manner. During this we learn more about Jack’s death, and his influence on their lives. The tension between Will and Hand reaches critical mass at several points during their journey, which you expect to turn to either blows or division, but in the end, through some putting out of the fire, they settle back to accepting they are the only two remaining, and they have to stick together to get through the whole ordeal.
Will initially nitpicks his way on who does and does not get the money. Hand is more enthusiastic about the whole thing and feels the money should be given less sparingly and more spontaneously. During one of their worst confrontations with each other, and having gone through a moment of hell, they decide to reevaluate their situation. What could have lead to another systematic approach becomes random, but with a goal: to head home. It is this that drives the two to give the money away in more imaginative ways, and more immediately.
The platonic love between the three has been shattered, and has caused a wave of unrest between the remaining two
The books contains large amounts of sporadic humour, tension, thrill and drive. You are positioned not just as a reader, but as someone going on the journey with the two of them. You become involved in their life threatening chase down the dark alleys to the mountains, as you watch random men trying to kill each other; you join int he escapade of hiding money in the form of a treasure hunt. It’s fantastically well written, and takes you from being an adult, to a child and back to adulthood again.
You Shall Know Our Velocity has some wonderful, intricate moments. Hand is the book of myths, and during their journey makes fact of his “knowledge” by gaining acknowledgment from the residents of the country to confirm his suspicions and deep beliefs about rumours and myths. When smacked down back to Earth by the locals, with Will gaining a gleam of satisfaction at watching Hand bitch slapped by his nonsensical “facts”.
The tale of the ancients believing that helium would make people fly is interesting and fascinating to read; did they really believe this, or was this made up? So much of what is written reads like a personal diary of events that could happen, very possibly, and you too could be in that situation. The reality of the fantasy works brilliantly because of the smart writing by Dave Eggers.
We’re also given an insight in the unspoken, the thoughts that Will has that he does not speak of out loud. Personal conversations within his head, with himself, with people he knows, and with people he meets. On the one hand, he has a conversation which is verbal, and on another level he is having a more honest and blunt conversation in his head of what is really being said. If you can relate to that, you would probably enjoy those moments as much as I did, because they add a touch of genius that you don’t see many other books.
You Shall Know Our Velocity is a page turning adventure. It’s one of those rare books that provides a form of deception, to lure you into something that seems one thing, but turns out quite another. Your expectations are thrown out of the window, just as the journey is thrown out of the window. Nothing will go as you expect, and this only adds to the freshness of the book, and is aided by the lack of routine and predictability found in so many books these days.
Verdict: An original, refreshing and inspiring book.