White noise

text and criticism

538 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 1998 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:
978-0-14-027498-1
Copied ISBN!
Goodreads:
14137

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

(84 reviews)

White Noise is the eighth novel by Don DeLillo, published by Viking Press in 1985. It won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.White Noise is an example of postmodern literature. It is widely considered DeLillo's "breakout" work and brought him to the attention of a much larger audience. Time included the novel in its list of "Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005". DeLillo originally wanted to call the book Panasonic, but the Panasonic Corporation objected.

116 editions

Even better 30 years later

I recently re-read this book in anticipation of the movie being released on Netflix, and I found I enjoyed it even more than the first time I read it (as an undergrad English major) 30 years ago. With the advent of the internet and social media, it's even more timely now than it was when it was written.

reviewed White noise by Don DeLillo

Absurd and bizarre in a highly entertaining way

When one of my friends recommended this book, he told me "you don't really read it for any plot; moreso the vibes." I second his advice: approach this book with a mind open to absurdity and humor. You might like where it takes you. Being a New Yorker, one quote in particular that I thoroughly enjoyed was:

The art of getting ahead in New York was based on learning how to express dissatisfaction in an interesting way.

All too real.

Overall would highly recommend.

Review of 'White Noise' on 'Goodreads'

How much information is enough and is there such a thing as too much? Is there a point at which you know enough that you could confront even death itself? No, I suppose not. Because, ultimately, to die well is to live well, and to live well is to know how to interact with the real, with the immediate.
Anyone who spent at least half an afternoon once in their lives pondering over the routine, the usual, can tell you that it very quickly dissolves into something close to absurdity, but not quite, because you are left with not even that much of a satisfaction. The world sold you on rationalization over experience. Is this why we are so apathetic? Is this why every genuine show of emotion leaves us feeling as if it were somehow synthetic? We must rationalize them away!
So then, if our identity cannot be cultivated …

Review of 'White Noise' on 'GoodReads'

I found this simultaneously a slog and super fascinating. The arc of the story reminded me of Ballard in a bunch of ways, it became increasingly hallucinatory as it went on, and was never truly grounded in the first place. Though it wallowed in mundanity in a way that reminded me of Ionesco for the first part of the book. I don't know that I could recommend it, and it possibly turned me off DeLillo forever, but its really hard to say. I think that there are moments from it that will stick with me for a long time, and that's really all I can ask for in a book.

reviewed White noise by Don DeLillo (Contemporary American fiction)

Review of 'White noise' on 'Goodreads'

This is a great book that I would have a really hard time recommending to anyone unless I knew they were cool with postmodern lit and/or a Thomas Pynchon fan.

I will say this, however, White Noise had a line that made me laugh on nearly every page and I really enjoyed it, despite its puzzles and postmodern games. For me, it was worth reading for the character Murry, alone.

Review of 'White Noise' on 'Goodreads'

This is a great book, but it took me three tries over five years to finally read it all the way through. It's immensely quotable, fascinatingly post-modern and bordering on surreal because it is so heightened and odd. I would highly recommend it, and I'd love to see it as a movie some day. I imagine that most other people who pick it up for fun are more likely to actually read it all the way through on the first go...

avatar for mikewilson

rated it

avatar for shithead

rated it

avatar for MarianneBrix

rated it

avatar for cerieshunter

rated it

avatar for Paranoid-Fish

rated it

avatar for ChadGayle

rated it

avatar for jet

rated it

avatar for ahalbert

rated it

avatar for Lixi

rated it

avatar for ilchinealach

rated it

avatar for shawn

rated it

avatar for corvusolty

rated it

avatar for stalecooper

rated it

avatar for barffalo

rated it

avatar for grace

rated it

avatar for stonewall

rated it

avatar for radiogaze

rated it

avatar for candimisms

rated it

avatar for cygnoir

rated it

avatar for mueet

rated it

avatar for ianbishop

rated it

avatar for joejoh

rated it

avatar for julienmartlet

rated it

avatar for manderson

rated it

avatar for ReneCNielsen

rated it

avatar for ItsGG

rated it

avatar for PromptedInkReads

rated it

avatar for Acton007

rated it

avatar for dfings

rated it

avatar for krisrex

rated it

avatar for gadabyte

rated it

avatar for mchlgbbns

rated it

avatar for breakfastburrito

rated it

avatar for stim

rated it

avatar for Enno

rated it

avatar for Nikita

rated it

avatar for braintoast

rated it

avatar for ion

rated it

avatar for Autolycus

rated it

avatar for Myshkin

rated it

avatar for Fellex

rated it

avatar for caltf4

rated it

avatar for jamid

rated it

avatar for RyanHyde

rated it

avatar for mad_frisbeterian

rated it

avatar for joergr

rated it

avatar for hadaly

rated it

avatar for eisenbrau

rated it

avatar for andyinabox

rated it

avatar for lucasrizoli

rated it

avatar for hel

rated it

avatar for gmp

rated it

avatar for YoursTrulee

rated it

avatar for cristopher

rated it

avatar for WorzelFG

rated it

avatar for neilernst

rated it

avatar for faithpeterson

rated it

avatar for monoCJ74

rated it

avatar for marcelweiss

rated it

avatar for FredJohansen@books.theunseen.city

rated it

avatar for ascagnel

rated it

avatar for rototrav

rated it

avatar for Qwaint

rated it

avatar for staxl

rated it

avatar for JPo34

rated it

avatar for writh

rated it

avatar for calicozack

rated it

avatar for sifuCJC

rated it

avatar for pearsonbolt

rated it

avatar for maese_richar

rated it

avatar for gimley

rated it

avatar for stim

rated it

avatar for vincekd

rated it

avatar for boogah

rated it

Subjects

  • DeLillo, Don.
  • Industrial accidents -- Fiction.
  • College teachers -- Fiction.
  • Stepfamilies -- Fiction.
  • Death -- Fiction.
  • Middle West -- Fiction.

Lists