INFINITE JEST

The Kodiak Perspective has finally finished reading “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace. What makes this book special? The book was published in 1996 and is set in the near future, when the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the USA have been combined into “One North American Nation” or O.N.A.N., but not everyone is happy. The Quebecois do not want any part of the new conglomeration, and have their operatives busy in the field. Much of the book also deals with alcohol and substance abuse and recovery, and the characters that live under a supervised roof just downhill from a boarding school for tennis prodigies. The high school pranks and jests make up a large portion of the book.

The material here is dark, dealing with people who are unhappy and unable to control their own destinies. Mr Wallace suffered from depression and hanged himself in September. His vision of this near future and his writing though are very funny, there are many laugh out loud moments in the book.

What is really striking though is his use of language, taking common roots and using them in unexpected fashion. The language usage in the book may take readers out of their comfort zone. This book is also a hefty 1100 pages heavily word filled pages, which along with the unusual language may be why The Kodiak Perspective has yet to meet a single person who has read the book, add to that over 400 end notes.

If you choose to read this book, you will need two bookmarks, one for the body, and one for the end notes. There are over 400 end notes, some of which may explain the text, some expand the text, and even some that are the text, with whole sections of the book taking place in the notes.  

The Kodiak Perspective recommends this book, and will be giving away copies to friends for Christmas. It is a good reading project for our long winter evenings here in Kodiak Alaska.