Infinite Rest

Back at home among its brethren.

I started it in February and finished it last night. (~1AM) Infinite Jest is done! For the last week or so I'd been burning through the pages at a fevered pace reminiscent of so many of the drugged, obsessed and desperate characters in the book.

My assessment? A stunningly well written book that is worth the hype it's been given. My fundamental disappointment was the "leave it to the reader to decide"-type ending that suggested the trajectories for each of the major characters, but still left it very open as to where they'd actually end up. (When I read 981 pages of very small print, plus 100 pages of footnotes, I expect every bloody loose end to be tied up!) But the end not withstanding (and I'd characterize the end more as frustrating than outright unfulfilling), it is a book that has gotten steeped inside me, one I won't forget. It's a book whose characters were so vibrant and original that they will forever be archetypes to compare and contrast other characters against. Certainly not for everyone and I'd be very careful about who I enthusiastically recommended it to, but I'm really glad I stuck with it after the initial toe-dip when it became clear it was going to be a major investment.

Thanks again to my buddy Dave for recommending it, and to "Gee" for the copy she bought me, keeping me from having to renew it from the L.A. public library 400 times.