Infinite Summer

Funny, but I swear I remember being aware of Seldane's dangers when I first read IJ in 1996, and so have been assuming this read that the reference to a drug that dangerously interacts with antifungals was intentional. A quick poke around the net produced things like this 1992 NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/08/us/wa ... ane&st=cse . True, the removal from the market in 1997 makes Seldane an anachronism in the book no matter what, but now I'm confused, wondering if I am misremembering what I knew of Seldane at the time, or if enough info was in the air in the early 90's to make it likely an allergy sufferer like myself would know something of its dangers. Given the level of drug research DFW seems to have been doing for this book (and, in retrospect, now knowing that he was on Nardil, which, as an MAOI, is a member of the absolute classic class of drugs known for deadly interactions with certain foods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nardil#Interactions)), it seems to me more likely than not that DFW was aware of some of Seldane's dangers.

The Marlon Bain exchange with Steeply when he tells the story of he and Orin accidentally dragging the Mom's dog to a gruesome and tragic death and the Orin straight up lies about the dog's fate and the Mom's accepting/believing it which then ties to the scene when Joelle is at the Incandenza's for thanksgiving and mentions seeing a dog bowl and other signs of a dog but no dog at all around or anyone even mentioning a dog. I burst out at that and then realized this was a perfect distillation of the dymanics between the Mom's and Orin, brilliant.

"Himself didn't suffer, then. In the microwave."

"Asphuxiated."

Hal's description -- during his long phone conversation w/ Orin -- of meetings with the grief therapist had me screaming! I'll re-read that again and again, I'm sure.

The famous cab to library quote:

"I jumped in the cab before it had even stopped at the gate. I actually said, "The nearest library with a cutting-edge professional grief- and trauma-therapy section and step on it!"

[quote="thisiswater"]"Himself didn't suffer, then. In the microwave."

"Asphuxiated."

Hal's description -- during his long phone conversation w/ Orin -- of meetings with the grief therapist had me screaming! I'll re-read that again and again, I'm sure.

That made me laugh, too. Grim humor, but very funny nevertheless,

I've been cracking up at all the various headlines in Mario's film, esp. those by the "Chemically Over-Garrulous Headliner Eventually Fired Even from Subheader Dept. for Exceeding Verbal Parameters and Now Starting to Get in the Same Hot Water All Over Again at a Much Less Prestigious Daily Paper". (p.400)

"HAVE SOME TERRITORY"
"NO, REALLY, THANKS ANYWAY"
"BUT I INSIST"
"LOOK, WE'RE SWIMMING IN TERRITORY ALREADY, HAVE A LOOK AT AN ATLAS WHY DON'T YOU, WE HAVE WAY MORE TERRITORY THAN WE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALREADY, PLUS I DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE EITHER BUT WE'RE ESPECIALLY UNKEEN ON ACCEPTING HOPELESSLY BEFOULED TERRITORY FROM YOU GUYS, INTERDEPENDENCE RHETORIC OR NO, THERE'S REALLY JUST NO WAY"

Can you imagine world leaders conversing in this manner?

_________________
"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you." DFW

p. 256 "That something smelled delicious!" Apparently this conversation with Orin took place while Hal was still able to comunicate. To read this as the culmination of Hal's dealings with the professional grief counselor let my jaw as open as the counselor's must have been.

In the synopsis of Blood Sister: One Tough Nun, the chorus of silent monks are mentioned once in the context of "protracted and basically unwinnable games of charades with the Trappists".

Unwinnable games of charades with the Trappist monks! LOLO

p. 492 "Boiling hordes of gibbering squeaking ravenous rapacious rats"
That made me laugh and simultaneously sit up in bed so quickly I startled one of the dogs!
Joan