Alas, poor Yorrick
Dave Eggers new forward for the 10th Anniversary of the book can be read here. This is the best book I've ever read, and if it was 1000 pages longer, that would still be true. You should read Eggers' take on it. He says, "And yet the time spent in this book, in this world of language, is absolutely rewarded. When you exit these pages after that month of reading, you are a better person. It’s insane, but also hard to deny. Your brain is stronger because it’s been given a month-long workout, and more importantly, your heart is sturdier, for there has scarcely been written a more moving account of desperation, depression, addiction, generational stasis and yearning, or the obsession with human expectations, with artistic and athletic and intellectual possibility." Apparently the new edition will be cheaper (though no less long), so I suggest you pick it up. Post-haste!