Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Infinite Jest

Okay... what is there to say about this book that has not in one way or another been said already? While I really enjoyed it, I also don't think that it is a book for everyone. Before reading it I had heard the criticisms of how aloof and self-important the book was because of how long and (seemingly) needlessly complex it is, and I can easily see how someone could come away from a book like this feeling that, and I do think that there is a place for those criticisms.

I, however, loved it. A lot of the prose is surprisingly accessible, and at times incredibly engrossing to read. The bizarre world that the characters inhabit is like a bizarre shadow universe of our own where just enough feels similar or is eerily reminiscent of our own world while at other times being a bizarrely funny caricature of life as we know it.

I enjoyed moving through the various threads of characters and plotlines in the book, and how they all came together to give different viewpoints of motifs like addiction, entertainment, and a sense of purpose in life. There were certainly times when the plot seemed to meander, and swathes I felt I could have done without, but ultimately they were not long enough for me to want to put it down. I also enjoyed the ambiguity of the plot, and I had a lot of "fun" while I was reading it and afterwards reading blogs and reddit posts to parse through some of the ambiguity. So I guess if you are someone who likes really clear, cut-and-dry plot clarity, I can see why you would not have a good time reading this book.

The one criticism that I can totally agree with is the sometimes bro-iness of the prose thoughtout the book. It is clearly a product of its time, i.e. the '90s. While, yes, a lot of the cruder language of the book comes through the perspectives of characters who are not meant to be totally likeable, Wallace does not seem completely interested in interrogating that line of thought, or if a moral judgment is made it is along the lines of "It's Gately's way of seeing things, not mine," which is hard to take at face value in a book where the whole time it seems to be telling you "THIS IS A BOOK. THIS IS FICTION." Also that interjection in fake-AAVE is so deeply cringey. I know it is the oldest part of the book, and all that, but it is so clearly not actual AAVE and just how a white guy thinks AAVE sounds that it feels like it could have come from a pre-internet era.

Content Warnings

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challenging dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Yes, I read this book exclusively because I wanted to be able to say I read this book. What I didn’t expect when reading the book is that I would be swept away in the story. David Foster Wallace, while pretentious, had a way with words and, maybe it’s pretentious of me to say, but I think this has the potential to be a classic one day.

Hell, the footnotes alone make it worth the read.

If you want a slow-paced epic to make yourself seem cooler than you really are, pick up this book. It worked for me, and I actually liked it.

Content Warnings