This is a very unusual biography in that it is told by the people who
knew Gould instead of by an author who tries to create a narrative of
his life. The approach is interesting and, if you don’t like false
narratives, it’s refreshing. And certainly there is a lot of information
for Gould obsessives or anyone (like me) who has only ever watched
documentaries about him and not read anything.
But
Eaton asks very similar questions to each person. He fails to follow up
a lot of the time when someone says something weird or interesting.
Occasionally he does, but usually he just sticks to the script. Also,
despite what the back alleges, Eaton doesn’t attempt to connect all the
interviews into a portrait more than very briefly at the beginning. I
guess that was what he was setting out to do, but it still feels odd
that there’s no conclusion or epilogue or what have you.
This
is absolutely worth reading if you have an interest in Gould. And it’s
absolutely worth reading if you are interested in alternative forms of
biography, but the approach still leaves a lot to be desired and it will
leave you wanting to read something more comprehensive.
6/10