Helpful Score: 2
Well not sure what to think of "Inherent Vice." Reading it was like being on a prolonged acid trip through the late 60s. I thought the plot was very convoluted and hard to keep track of what was going on with its many characters and subplots. The story did have the feel of being in Southern California during the 60s including the drug use, hippies, weird life styles, music, etc. I have tried reading Pynchon before and have always found his novels to be difficult reads. This one was not quite as difficult but it still left me going "huh?" at the end.
First time reading Pynchon, picked a winner! What a great writer, what a great book! I graduated high school in the time period of the story, it brought back a lot of good memories!! One of the best books I've read in a long time. I enjoyed this book so much I didn't want it to end!
I really enjoyed this book. The liner notes said something about this book not being in Pynchon's usual genre. After wasting some time speculating as to what genre to assign his previous works I got down to reading. This book is pure Pynchon, full of humour and dark shadowy conspiracies lurking just below the surface. More reminiscent of Vineland than Gravity's Rainbow it is a light read. But, I still contend that you don't need a masters in literature to enjoy Pynchon.
