4 August 2009
Mr Pynchon publishes his seventh
novel, a 369 pages 'neo-noir'(Craig Seligman) mystery novel set in 1970 LA. "In
this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccostumed genre, provides
a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the 60s,
you weren't there ... or ... if you were there , then you ... or, wait, is
it ..." (from Inherent's Vice's inner sleeve)
[...] nobody, not even Pynchon, has ever written dialogue of quite
this sort before. Displaying a masterful grasp of vernacular nuance, that
dialogue is - like the lithe, elegant prose in which it is embedded - rendered
with astonishing verve.
[...] This book is a beautifully written, hilariously inventive page-turner,
a shaggy (and Scooby) dog story that deserves a wider audience, whether it
is eventually turned into a film or not. Yes, it's light. No, it's not up
there among Pynchon's greatest books. But it's probably his funniest book,
and exhibits more fully than ever before, his late-period largeness of heart.
This book has good vibes.
Quoted from: John Carvill. "The 'Bong' Goodbye: On Thomas Pynchon's Inherent
Vice." Bright Lights Film Journal 65 (August 2009).
Complete
review. (
1)
M-maybe you'll just wanna read the book: I-Inherent Vice, Penguin Press. 27.95 - 27.95?! Really? That used to be, like, three weeks of groceries, man. What year is this again?