Okay, like, I wasn't exactly expecting to just put it down, go 'golly gee that was good' and move on, but I can seriously imagine myself spending a lot of time analyzing this book. Like basically re-reading it.

I'm a huge pomo fan, so I don't like stylistic whims being wantonly described as tricks (which is a dumb thing to say, and something I have heard from many pomo critics), and I think, with IJ, like, the very underpinnings of the aims of pomo lit is fully realized, much like in Gravity's Rainbow. To contrast, I love Zadie Smith, but White Teeth is indebted almost exclusively to the stylistic flourishes, but is an obviously somewhat theoretically immature work (which makes sense cause she was so young when she wrote it, and not to take away the fact that is was an astonishingly empathetic and well-curated novel).

Underworld suffered from the apt critique that DeLillo's voice was clearly the puppeteer behind every character, but DFW's aim is different, he is clearly present in every syllable, and this is what makes the whole novel magnetic, for over 1000 pages.

I am absolutely amazed at how it felt so alienating, inviting and deeply, truly, human, all at the same damn time. I really, genuinely felt like I was connecting deeply with the human being behind the words. I find myself very often getting so wrapped up in the world an author has created, and if this doesn't happen I can get very bored very quickly, and although this world felt so alienating and isolated from the individuals occupying it, I could feel the sweet, sweet person behind all the brute, cold analysis trying to be the gentle and deformed little Mario.

And like, upon reflection, so much is just poking out to me now like "SERIOUSLY, WHY DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THIS WHEN YOU FIRST READ IT" like the triple-crossing spies who, in actuality, removed from the political circumstances surrounding them, are not even spies in the first place, but sincere individuals trying to operate in their most ethical and moral interests.

I'm just going to spend all day on thehowlingfantods.com