V.

an absolutely unbelievable novel that has me real excited to re-read GR and M&D. i feel like i'd need to read many other books in order to say anything that does this one justice but what stands out to me theme-wise here is how bang on pynchon was w/r/t the nature of the transfer of global hegemony from britain to the US with all the faux-naievete, the illusions of postwar subculture, a form of administration that is less direct but no less horrific in its consequences or effects....

in the epilogue there's a line one british spook says to another about how its more honourable to labour under the illusions of 19th century power than believe for a second in the universalism in the 20th. even taking to one side the fact that a le carré type figure would of course think that, and present that as an excuse for their own part in the world order, i can't imagine another fiction writer that could process that transition, let alone represent it, without being heavy-handed

Pynchon is at times brilliant, and I'm sure that there is a lot to unpack in this novel. But a little more than half way through this book I can't find the enthusiasm to keep going, reading about characters that I could not care less about. The cast is sprawling, the plot inscrutable (if, indeed, there really is one - people seem divided on the topic), and somewhat like Naked Lunch I find that much of the content walks the line between distasteful and simply awful. There is a note here of mid-20th century nihilism that I can neither bring myself to either appreciate as an anti-aesthetic, nor enjoy as a direct commentary on the problems of society. The lovable and pathetic loser is no longer an endearing character, but an indictment of the problems of the 21st century inherited from the amoral and hedonistic excesses of the 20th century.

I'm sure this novel was groundbreaking when it was first published, and I wish I could write as well as Pynchon. I just have no desire to read writing, no matter the caliber, with such a distinct lack of value. I don't regret reading this, but I feel like this was neither time well spent nor particularly pleasurable.