Inherent Vice by
Thomas Pynchon
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
Thomas Pynchon is a writer who compels the reader to work hard through his books to find a gem at the end of his rainbow. If you want something easy Mr. Pynchon probably is not your cup of tea. But if you are willing to be submerged in a new experience Pynchon is your guide.
Here Pynchon, our rough guide, takes us to the Los Angeles neighborhood that surrounds LAX. The time is 1969, and the mood is hazy. Our government has us involved in a never ending war with a place called Vietnam. The economy is good not great. The beginning of the internet is here but it will not be released to the public till 1991. Charlie Manson has gotten every suburbanite scared of long haired freaks. There seems to be a quite buzz about. Los Angeles feels like it could blow up into a Technicolor Riot at any moment. Pynchon does an incredible job of lifting up what subterranean currants made Los Angeles glow dim in the 1980’s. This is where we find Doc, a private gum shoe, investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend.
I really enjoyed this book and think that anyone who likes Elmore Leonard or Raymond Chandler would find this book a blast. It also could be the book for all of you interested in social history; with a need to find out what caused something to turn from a dream into now a nightmare.
All people who love Shelley Winters will love this book.
Inherent Vice is scheduled to become a movie released in 2014.
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