Infinite jest

English language

Published 1996

ISBN:
978-0-316-92004-9
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5 stars (2 reviews)

A gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the Pursuit of Happiness in America Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction, Infinite Jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. It is an exuberant, uniquely American exploration of the passions that make us human - and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do.

34 editions

Not what I expected

5 stars

This books is amazing in many ways but is hard to compare to other more conventional stories and novels. It has a unique narrative structure and a radically chaotic use of language. I have to say I was skeptical at first and nearly gave up on this at several points, but it drew me in and by the end I was in love with its weird, quirky natures. The story itself is disjointed and a bit uninteresting when distilled from the way it is told and language used to tell it. That said it draws you in and is strong enough to hold up the novel through what is a marathon length telling. A lot of what happens in the book seems to be in service of some other purpose than serving to move the story along. It seems to be making points about society, human nature, morality and humanity …

Review of 'Infinite Jest' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

If I liked Infinite Jest enough to give it 4 stars, then why did it take me almost 9 months to finish?

Some of this novel is just brilliant, and some of it went off the rails.

What's brilliant? In general, just about everything in the second half: Hal Incandenza at the "Inner Infant" meeting. Ortho Stice (yes, that's his name) stuck to the dormitory window. Don Gately in the hospital. The absurdity of the advertising industry.

I almost got defeated in the middle of the book, wondering how/if the rambling storylines were going to come together. Enough already with Remy Marathe and Hugh/Helen Steeply and the Quebec separatists. Enough with Mario Incandenza's film about the establishment of ONAN (Organization of North American Nations – Canada, US and Mexico), as enacted by puppets. Enough with Eschaton! I admit it…I started skipping text.

This is not a book to pick up …