A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (or AHWoSG) is an autobiographical novel by Dave Eggers, relating his experiences directly prior to and after the death of his parents to cancer 32 days apart from one another. Once the parents die, their four children decide to sell the family home, and move to California. Principle players in the book include Dave, his eight-year-old brother Toph (short for Christopher), sister Beth, older brother Bill, and a network of friends. Dave takes stewardship of Toph immediately after the family moves, and the next three years are covered as he becomes a single parent of his younger brother, organizes Might magazine in San Fransisco, and auditions for The Real World on MTV. Later printings of the book include an addendum called Mistakes We Knew We Were Making, which details some of the deliberate ommissions and composite events that made the book flow easier.