Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

15 reviews

addimop's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this took me so long to read i simply cannot give it anything less than 5 stars…. however! i dont want to immediately start extolling the genius of DFW, this book is too long and i would argue self-aggrandizing (him writing it to impress a girl makes sooo much sense). Im happy ive finished it partly because it was a literary delight and partly so i can finally grill the men who start raving about it. 

This is a story of family, addiction, and entertainment set against an almost speculative-fiction background which I think allows this book to stay incredibly relevant (especially in our current political situation). Johnny Gentle, Subsidized Time, and the InterLace Viewers all feel very prescient to 2024. This book was not only a hard read from a literary perspective but also delves into dark topics, especially when it comes to Ennet House and its residents. 

The writing is beautiful and has such a strong voice to it. He has a way of breaking up the most pretentious passages with a very down-to-earth sentence, or a dark and sad passage with the funniest thing you’ve ever read. There were multiple times I laughed out loud (Hal’s NA experience took me outttt). I also really enjoyed how DFW acknowledges marijuana as an addictive substance (even to the point of needing rehab), i feel like marijuana is not regarded this way anymore for better or worse. Lastly, I loved the math aspects of the book, but I gotta say… were his explanations overly difficult or am I dumb? Why did I not understand anything when they started talking about math lmao. ( related quote: “ only at times like this, when you are directionless in a dark wood, trust to the abstract deductive. when driven to your knees, kneel and revere the double S. Leap like a knight of faith into the arms of Peano, Leibniz, Hilbert, L’Hopital. You will be lifted up. Fourier, Gauss, LaPlace, Rickey. Borne up. Never let fall. Wiener, Reimann, Frege, Green. “)

My main issue with the book was the way race was handled. Several slurs are used throughout and weird AAVE vernacular is used for certain characters. I genuinely cannot tell if this is a reflection of the characters, a reflection of DFW, or simply a sign of the times. In any case, it was off-putting for me. 

Overall, this book was a rollercoaster, sometimes i loved it, sometimes i wanted to throw it out my window. I see how it pulls you in for rereads, as I feel I missed several “minor” details that were actually very important to filling in plot holes.  Perhaps a reread is in my future. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ciarafor's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m taking away a star for the sheer amount of racism and sexism in this book - every single female character is objectified so extremely this book can be difficult to read as a woman sometimes.

Taking away another star for the number of times I grew exasperatedly bored with long passages about the individual hallway patterns and structures of buildings and longest backstories that sometimes were crucial and other times entirely useless. And for the way this book made me want to crawl out of my skin way more than once.

But I can’t justify taking away any other stars, because outside of those two (pretty significant) things, this book was one of the most intelligent, intriguing, and powerful books I’ve read. I will not subscribe to the Myth of Male Genius or allow DFW to be venerated as faultless, but this work really is something you kind of have to put a capital G on the Genius for. The entire book, DFW tells you exactly what he’s doing and going to do, and when he does it, it’s still somehow earth shattering. It’s bold, it’s boundary-breaking, and it has left me reeling on more than one occasion. I personally believe the point of literature is to make you feel things, experience things you haven’t had the occasion to touch or think on, to live through someone else’s creation. At its core, Infinite Jest will make you feel, and think, and live through all kinds of stuff you didn’t want to, and may be better off or far worse off for. Read at your own risk - but if you want to experience something unlike anything else you have thus far, and you can stomach what comes with it, Infinite Jest might just be worth picking up. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cecdex's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lizburny's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It is a book that pulls you in and pushes you away. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

beansrowning's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It took several months of non-committal reading and a month of solid reading to knock this out. 

Wow. Not sure where to begin. I both loved many sections and hated an equal amount.

I get why so many people just don't finish it, but I'm happy I did. Not my favorite book, but one that has (maybe a bit too much) to say.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

julziez's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

edick's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Man, I might be ensnared by the feelings I have from finishing this amazing piece, so the almost-5 might be impulsive, but I absolutely loved Infinite Jest.

Wallace’s style and flow of writing is truly mesmerizing. His insertion of minute details may seem sporadic at first, but as I moved through IJ I found a calculated precision that revealed itself slowly, as you see everything tie into itself. I know that this is a popular one to reread, and I plan on it, but I was so crushed when I hit the last page. I haven’t got a feeling like this since East of Eden — Wallace absolutely immerses you in a scattered mix of O.N.A.N. locales, and I was so sad to not have any more to explore.

There’s just so much I can ramble about with this one. Overall, Infinite Jest just displays so much… humanity, I’d say. I don’t think it’s for everyone, but so many elements of the lens Wallace viewed the world with ring true to me. So much incredible, subtle humor enmeshed in some absolutely desolate, crushing vignettes of Enfield’s inhabitants stumping through life. There are so many absolutely bizarre fragments here, but simultaneously it all feels so raw & authentic. 

I realized it not too far in, but the weird MFA-litbro reputation Infinite Jest has these days is absurd. Wallace’s prose is so fun, so addicting, but with pretty substantial depth and agility. It doesn’t really talk down to ya, but he throws in some interesting word choice and concepts to keep you on your toes. Yes, it’s long and winding, but like many amazing “non-linear” works its beauty simply unfolds the more you immerse yourself.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nickds's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

charlottekm's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

greenrequiem's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings