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A review by ohmanbleh
Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
4.0
Whatcha got here is a classic noir, down to an opening with a blonde bombshell who has a job for a PI. The PI in question is Larry "Doc" Sportello, a former collection agent who's fallen in with the late-60's hippie scene in southern california.
Besides being beautifully written and often hilarious, it's also an entirely respectable noir -- the labyrinthine plot and hardboiled mood for me stands up to Raymond Chandler and the like.
It's also a love letter to that 60's hippie era, with a sometimes too-sweet nostalgia that verges into social commentary. As we watch Doc gradually come to terms with the end of the hippie era, there are echos of what's to come for America, for better or worse.
Besides being beautifully written and often hilarious, it's also an entirely respectable noir -- the labyrinthine plot and hardboiled mood for me stands up to Raymond Chandler and the like.
It's also a love letter to that 60's hippie era, with a sometimes too-sweet nostalgia that verges into social commentary. As we watch Doc gradually come to terms with the end of the hippie era, there are echos of what's to come for America, for better or worse.