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A review by ericfheiman
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace
5.0
I'm usually not a fan of overly formalist fiction and the ambition of Wallace's signature novel "Infinite Jest" was constantly undermined by his seemingly desperate need to impress with writerly pyrotechnics.
Maybe Wallace's work is better in short bursts, or I'm a more patient and seasoned reader now, but once I got back into the David Foster groove this book simply blew me away with its masterful balance of formal innovation, big ideas, and emotionally rich and well-styled prose. Not all the pieces succeed completely, but every one reveals how hard Wallace was working to create a new kind of fiction writing that grapples with contemporary society's many issues, in a very real and human way.
I'm sure his recent suicide also colored my reaction to the work here—I couldn't help but think of his own personal struggle with depression and the weight of the world in every one of "Hideous Men"'s stories. It (almost) makes me want to go back and grapple with "Infinite Jest" all over again.
Maybe Wallace's work is better in short bursts, or I'm a more patient and seasoned reader now, but once I got back into the David Foster groove this book simply blew me away with its masterful balance of formal innovation, big ideas, and emotionally rich and well-styled prose. Not all the pieces succeed completely, but every one reveals how hard Wallace was working to create a new kind of fiction writing that grapples with contemporary society's many issues, in a very real and human way.
I'm sure his recent suicide also colored my reaction to the work here—I couldn't help but think of his own personal struggle with depression and the weight of the world in every one of "Hideous Men"'s stories. It (almost) makes me want to go back and grapple with "Infinite Jest" all over again.