THINGS THE GRANDCHILDREN SHOULD KNOW

What does one do when one’s whole family dies, one by one, through a series of tragic circumstances? Faced with such a burden, Mark Oliver Everett is surprisingly resilient—although not without remorse. As the leader of the alternative-rock band the Eels, Everett has already built a reputation for wry wit and lyrical candor, and this book epitomizes the X-Generation attitude towards mortality with its deadpan humor and world-weary cynicism. Everett pulls the ultimate postmodern trick when he recruits fellow Eel The Chet to do the narration. Essentially "playing" his band mate, Chet has a snide tone, as impassive as that of a DJ on a college radio station. It’s the perfect vehicle to assert Everett's identity as a cynical post-Boomer. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]