A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Rules and Suggestions Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11
Themes
All Themes Self-Consciousness and Meta-Narration Coming of Age, Parenthood, and Responsibility Death, Humor, and the Worst-Case Scenario Identity Guilt and Poetic License
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Dave Eggers Toph Eggers Eggers’s Mother (Heidi Eggers) Eggers’s Father (John Eggers) Beth Eggers Bill Eggers Kirsten Moodie John Shalini Malhotra Meredith Weiss Sarah Mulhern Laura Folger Sari Lockers Lance Crapo Skye Bassett Stephen
Symbols
All Symbols The Wallet Heidi and John Eggers’s Ashes
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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

by

Dave Eggers

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Study Guide

It's easy to cite LitCharts for use in academic papers and reports.

MLA

Lannamann, Taylor. "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 7 Nov 2018. Web. 13 Jun 2025.

Chicago

Lannamann, Taylor. "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." LitCharts LLC, November 7, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2025. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/a-heartbreaking-work-of-staggering-genius.

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