Infinite Summer

I've been meaning to read IJ for years but was waiting for a copy to fall into my lap cheaply--this motivated me to actually buy. This should be fun!

I wondered if Hal in the interview was very high/stoned/UI, which can result in that kind of mismatch between inner experience and outer behavior.

Little bits that jumped out: on the very first page, Hal seeing the Dean's glasses as "court-shaped, the sidelines at top and bottom"; p. 56 - Don Gately "crept around on huge cat feet" (Sandburg reference combined with cat burglar!); p. 58 -the house "as bare as a post-feral-hamster meadow"; p. 65-66, the idea of the Cardinals team having to dress up as birds and fly into the stadium!

One thing that bugged me: the JOI filmography (endnote 24) not having years B.S.--ie, the earlier films are labeled "B.S." alone without the year. I understand we're supposed to be kept in the dark so far about when everything is actually transpiring, but this to me broke the dream because it feels so inauthentic. Especially when BS year numbers ARE referred to in the plot descriptions, and then on p. 81 we see what one would expect, "B.S. 1989."

--Hilary

About 13 pages in, I remembered: One of the reasons it took me so long to return to IJ after the first read (11 years) is that DFW's writing just humbles me. To the ground. I love him to pieces but I can't help thinking "GodDAMN, he's good -- in a million billion years of writing I could never approach this level." But I forgive him because ... well, because it's damn good readin'. Heh.

If it wasn't for this group/website there is no way I would still be reading this book. It is so confusing and hard to track. Yet as I read I kept thinking about the various guides advice and plugged away. This morning when I checked the chapter summaries and character list I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I am comprehending and retaining more than I thought I was. It is also comforting to know that others are in the same boat.

[b]Hcethatsme [/b]enjoyed the phrase as "bare as a post-feral-hamster meadow" a seemingly clever but meaningless phrase until low-and- behold on page 93 DFW gives us an entire description and etiology of feral hamsters!

Loving it so far and am enjoying how "readable" it is. Not generally what you expect from an over 1000 page book. I'm really interested in seeing how it all comes together. Trying not to be intimidated right now. I'm finding that if I read a passage and it doesn't make sense, if I just slow down and re-read it, it all comes together. Basically if I don't get something, I'm the problem!

I'm enjoying the mix of tragedy and humor and dystopian tone. Here's a question, is this world a dystopia? I wouldn't call it a utopia. But it feels like everyone is so disconnected from each other, forces are at work beyond their control, and everyone's on drugs. Wait a second...that's Los Angeles!

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HUGE Thanks to Matthew et al. Before the article on Infinite Summer in the book section of Time magazine, I had never heard of DFW or IJ, even though this is a type of book I really enjoy (or rather, several types I enjoy in one huge crack-up of a tome).

Enjoying the heck out of it. With sufficient patience, the tortuous path of the narrative only makes it more enjoyable, with little moments of revelation and insight that keep things fresh, even many dozens of pages in.