Dave EggersThe Parade

In an unamed country...recovery from the civil war ...marred with corruption and burdened by a new lawless government....two men - named Four and Nine (security company pseudonyms), are on a 12-day assignment to repair a road before a planned parade by the President, “ known for political theater.Both of these men were anonymous and of little value... other than do their job.Four dishes out the important tasks. He’s the boss! Serious - responsible - most experienced.... sixty three different assignments in all.Four could be counted on to complete any job on time or early.He didn’t earn the nickname, ‘clock’ for no reason.He tells Nine:“If you find a significant surface variation, you aretasked with filling it in before the RS-80 arrives, and if the variation is too large to fix, you will have to radio me, or come back to me in person. Then we canassess whether we power down to fix the anomaly,or if we just pave it over. Okay?”“Okay”.Nine is the complete opposite from Four....messy - late - women in his bed - ( whom he would gladly loan out to Four)...and frankly, Four considered Nine a liability.Nine is a character- but Four doesn’t consider anything about him funny - not his hair that impedes his vision...pushing it out of the way a hundred times a day - nor his feminine mouth.I won’t say more about this new novel...as it would be too easy to give spoilers...Other than....This spare novel is fierce...an evocative story....Dave Eggers prose touched me right in my gut!elyse

Eggers has generally disappointed me as of late. With some exceptions, I haven't truly enjoyed one of his books since YSKOV, which was ages ago. But, like a good loyalist, I've always gone out to buy his latest novel upon release.The Parade is more of a novella than a novel.I wanted to give this five, but there were parts near the beginning that I found really slow and boring. Having said that, when I got to about halfway through it really started to pick up and like JJ Abrams' approach to just about everything, Eggers kept leaving dangling threads that made me want to read more and more.I usually read a chapter or two before bed, but this weekend I powered through the last half of the book because I had to know how it was going to end.Man, the ending is really something. The sort that makes you utter a long drawn out expletive.

My new favorite Dave Eggers book. A short, direct novel with a powerful punch. No one in the book has a name - the protagonist is "four", his partner, as it were, "nine." They are paving a road in a unnamed war-torn country for a nameless company. The story starts so simply and get more tangled as it progresses, but the essential task - completing the road - is never seriously threatened.The characters are thinly drawn because that are more allegory than people. And most of us have parts of all of them in us. And the road continues on relentlessly, just as all of modernity does.Eggers' prose is lovely, I enjoy being with the characters. I'm sorry it's over, but it is just the right length. The story telling is direct, and hard to put down. I hope a lot of people read this.

When Dave Eggers wants to make a point, he writes a book. And whereas some are definitely more successful, his intent more clear, there is no one who can come close. My favorites are those in which he presents a larger picture by focussing on a smaller, more personal story (such as Zeitoun, What is the What, and the Monk of Mocha). I slip this one into the same slat as The Circle and Hologram for the King. His point here is his own, and if it not as accessible as some of his other works, I'll keep reading anything he writes.

Edgers is one of our best contemporary writers. He knows the stakes of modern issues, political and social, and writes about them with the style and grace befitting an accomplished writer.

This novel,was a quick read, spurred along by an observer narrator and sparse, but effective storytelling. You don’t learn much about the country where this takes place or who the main characters are, but it works as a great device to lull you into thinking you, as the reader, don’t care. Until the end, that is.

The desert on your lips. The wind stinging your eyes. Sweat deep inside the crotch. I loved how this novel put me alongside the characters in their physical world. That ending though...

Dave Eggers does not disappoint. It was a quick read but but full of characters we all know and hold within ourselves. We see where trusting no one and good intentions get us. I am glad someone is shining a light on isolationist attitude and self absorption in a modern way. Well done Dave.

An interesting story that’s really well written and easy to read. Unusual techniques in the story telling that seem to add to it well

You don't need to write a tome of epic length to tell a good story. In fact, often the most impactful books are those which keep it short. In 'The Parade', Dave Eggers demonstrates how a compact, elegantly and economically told tale can speak volumes. It is set in an unnamed, fictional, less economically wealthy country - probably, although not specifically, in Africa. The country has recently emerged from a bitter civil war between north and south. To mark the end of hostilities, the president has organised the construction of a road linking the two regions, and as soon as it is finished, a parade will be held to celebrate the peace.Two men from overseas - probably, but not specifically, the USA - are flown in by a specialist company to complete the job. 'Four', the point of view character, is an experienced engineer who has paved roads in many difficult, remote locations. He sticks rigidly to the rules and allows nothing to get in the way of getting the job done - particularly any sort of contact with the local population. To his horror, he is paired with new man 'Nine', who is the opposite. Naive, idealistic, and keen to interact with the locals, he is an unintended agent of chaos. Can Four possibly finish the road to the tight schedule so the planned parade can go ahead?I was able to sympathise with both Four and Nine, who represent the opposite ends of the spectrum of how people from economically rich countries interact (or not) with the populace when visiting nations that are not as financially well off. Neither comes over as an inherently 'bad' person and there is a valid rationale for each of their viewpoints. Four often seems to be lacking in compassion and rude, but clearly recognises his own remit and that the value he can bring is by doing his job effectively and well for the benefit of the whole population. Whereas Nine cares about the people on a more personal level and treats them as equals, benefitting some of those he meets, but fails to use his opportunities to help them in the most effective way and ultimately endangers himself and the whole operation.It is a clever story about the uneasiness of interactions between people in such situations, where a vast gulf exists between their life circumstances, based on nothing more than the sheer luck of their birthplace. Anyone who has travelled in countries that are not as economically well off as their own will recognise at least some of this. I wonder if which man the reader has more sympathy with depends on their personality type - I felt more inclined to support Four, but I think others would consider him cold hearted and prefer Nine.To me, Nine represented the 'white saviour' narrative that is generally rejected in this day and age - the well meaning wealthy foreigner who arrives, bestowing gifts haphazardly and feeling rather pleased with themselves, sometimes causing damage in the process, whereas they could have used their money and privilege far more effectively if less glamorously in other ways. I should add that the skin colour of the two men is never specifically mentioned, but I did imagine them both to be white, and even if they weren't the concept is still similar - the better-off outsider of whatever colour assuming they are capable of 'fixing' the problems of the financially impoverished locals.Besides Four and Nine, there are two local men - dubbed 'Medallion' and 'Cousin' - whom the pair encounter and (despite Four's determined efforts to avoid it) become crucial to the success of the project. Are they to be trusted? Are they exploiting the wealthy visitors - and would it be wrong if they were?This is a well constructed and thought provoking book which I'd highly recommend. It is not long, but I've found more to say about it in my review than I do when reviewing the majority of novels twice its length. It would be a good choice for a book club as there is plenty to think about here. It's also a good choice for people travelling to parts of the world that are less economically wealthy than their own. It won't give any easy answers, but it does make you think.

Entwicklungshilfe in einem nicht genauer bezeichneten afrikanischen Land kurz nach einem Bürgerkrieg. Eine Straße soll gebaut werden, die den Süden mit dem Norden des Landes verbindet, um auf diese Weise die unterschiedlich entwickelten Landesteile zusammenzuführen und die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung voranzutreiben.Die beiden aus dem Westen stammenden Ingenieure könnten unterschiedlicher nicht sein: Der eine sehr pflichtbewusst, der andere das Abenteuer in einem exotischen Land genießend und dabei den erfolgreichen Abschluss des Straßenbaus wiederholt gefährdend. Beide Personen leicht überzeichnet, aber glaubwürdig. Die Handlung eingebettet in eine überzeugende Darstellung von Menschen der afrikanischen Gesellschaft, die mit den Ingenieuren im Rahmen des Straßenbaus in Kontakt kommen.Am Ende scheitert das Projekt trotz bester Absichten der Ingenieure und der Bevölkerung an den unterschiedlichen Vorstellungen und Erwartungen, die der Westen und Afrika haben.Das Buch bietet für dieses Dilemma keine Lösung an. Ein paar Wochen Straßenbau scheinen aber offensichtlich nicht zur Lösung struktureller Probleme beizutragen, wenn kulturelle Unterschiede unberücksichtigt bleiben. Ein lesenswertes Buch, da es zum Nachdenken über die Sinnhaftigkeit der üblichen Entwicklungshilfe anregt, auch wenn es den Leser etwas ratlos und melancholisch gestimmt zurücklässt.

Nous sommes au milieu de nulle part ,dans un pays non identifié qui a un côté Mad Max et qui sort d'une guerre civile. Une entreprise doit goudronner la route menant du Nord au Sud,afin que la Parade en l'honneur de la fin des troubles et de l'achèvement de la route puisse à une date bien prévue circuler sans encombre.Les deux ouvriers,sont très différents l'un de l'autre. Par sécurité ils portent un chiffre en guise de nom, Quatre, pour le conducteur celui qui dans sa voiture hyperperfectionnée goudronne la route et Neuf pour celui qui fait le travail d'éclaireur,s'assurant que rien ne viendra troubler le travail de Quatre .Le soir Neuf a pour habitude de sortir et de se mêler aux autochtones,même si le règlement l'interdit,et il ne rentre pas de la nuit . A son réveil Deux ne voit personne.Il reprend sa tâche, car le calendrier doit être respecté. ..Je n'en dirais pas plus .J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre de 184 pages,même si la fin est des plus surprenantes.Ce n'est pas un livre pour la plage,il manque de fantaisie,mais il ne manque pas de suspens.

Oh Lord, I didn't expect that. I've felt uneasy all along the book, never sure where from the emotional danger would hit me. Until the final blow in the plexus. The economy of writing and style makes this small novel all the more gripping. A small masterpiece.