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nessjewels's review
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
melissafirman's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
greesman's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
grimondgalgmod's review
2.0
This is pretty much 150 pages of the narrator saying "As I already mentioned he squeezed my shoes, but I don't think I'm describing it right" over and over. I did like the absurd speech about how accountants are cowboys though.
juliadurango's review
5.0
Whenever I read David Foster Wallace, for days afterward I feel like I'm walking through the world with DFW goggles on. Everyday interactions, gestures, routines take on a little more charm and meaning. I notice more. I pay attention. Stupid things become funny. I'm more forgiving. I feel a little more connected to the human race, and a little more connected to myself. What a gift. And what a perfectly titled novella.
bpsalinas's review
5.0
A precise and intricate examination of epiphany. Remarkable technical skill coupled with a truthful artistry.
sophiaeck's review
4.0
something to do with paying attention was originally a part of wallace’s unfinished novel the pale king, which he hadn’t the chance to finish before he passed away in 2008. wallace considered publishing this as a novella, and so technically it’s the last book he ever finished, and yet, as it says in the preface, i think it’s the best place to start with his work, as it was for me. something to do with paying attention is the publishers title, not wallace’s, and it’s a reference to text within the book, but if it were me, i would’ve named it something to do with paying attention and everything to do with recollection. our unnamed narrator is an accountant, or what he likes to say, “a member of the service”, and his stream of consciousness writing is reminiscent, understated, and quietly profound. as stated in the preface, “the narrator is an accountant, by vocation, who can’t account for himself.” his narration is humble, he dwindles on his college years, his failure to stick to one major, he recounts his fathers traumatic death, his mothers descent into delusion due to her mourning. it’s purposely evocative of an interview, almost just a conversation that takes many paths and detours. “-power isn’t just a result of the experience itself, but also of the circumstances in which it hits you, of everything in your previous-life experience which has led up to it and made you exactly who and what you are when the experience hits you.” our narrator, on paper, could be just anyone, but we puncture the surface of his life and we experience his recalling of these paramount moments in his life that have made him who is in his moment of recollection; we are all a product of our experiences, and the profound moments that lead us further on our journey to who we are, and what we want to do in this world, and this short story is a testament to that sentiment. now will i pick up infinite jest? No
tvnguyen's review
This book is really good so far but ironically “something to do with paying attention” is kind of hard to pay attention to only because I am currently not in the best mental state. Nothing personal about the author. Since I was feeling anxious, the prose made me a little more anxious because of how dense and fast the information was hitting me. Will try again next time.