Lou from A Visit From
the Goon Squad is on that same destructive path. A man who desperately
fears growing up and being old, he tries hopelessly to hold onto his past in
increasingly destructive ways, from dating a twenty something woman to doing
cocaine with his teenage girlfriend.
When we first meet Lou, his girlfriend is Jocelyn, one of
Bennie’s high school friends. From the perspective of Rhea, another of the
friends, the reader sees that Lou is at least forty yet after the band’s gig he
invites these high schoolers to his apartment. He does drugs with them, which
shows just how far his immaturity and irresponsibility goes. In a conversation
with Rhea he claims, “I am your age,”
and “I’ll never get old.” However, one thing Lou does know is music. This is
what gives him a connection to Bennie who is eventually mentored by Lou for his
career. He also has a certain charm to
him. This is seen in his affect on Rhea in “Ask Me if I Care” and later in “Safari”.
In “Safari”, which takes place before “Ask Me if I Care” Lou
is on vacation in Africa with his two children Charlene (Charlie) and Rolph and
his (much younger) girlfriend Mindy. Throughout the chapter eleven year old
Rolph admires his father and tries to
connect with him but becomes increasingly angry with his father’s misogynistic
words towards Rolph’s mother and Mindy. It is also clear, Lou doesn’t know what to do
about raising his daughter Charlie who is desperate for his attention and who
he practically ignores. Lou is extremely jealous and angry when he discovers that
Mindy has cheated on him with Albert, the safari leader, and this ignites his competitive
nature which, the omniscient narrator tells us, eventually results in their marriage.
In “You (Plural)” Lou is truly an old dying man. His worst
fears have come true but he still attempts to reconnect to his past youth with
his visitors, Rhea and Jocelyn.
Lou is a despicable man. He’s a misogynist who refuses to
grow up and take responsibility for his life. However, there is something very
interesting about the character that makes you want to know more. And with a book
like A Visit from the Goon Squad you
can’t help but wonder if the reader will find out why he is the way he is.
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