White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)After Seize the Day, I wanted to dig into a more contemporary narrative.
An old friend had always raved about this book. There's a section where the hero relates his transcendent well-being after conducting a successful ATM transaction. My friend found it astute and funny.
Quick plot lowdown:
Dark comedy set in the '80s. Hero Jack Gladney is a liberal arts prof who teaches Hitler studies, a curriculum he devised to colleague acclaim. After three failed marriages, he's finally settled into what feels like a happy life pillowed by suburban consumerism, pop media infusion and the ubiquity and convenience of electronic culture. Then, an industrial accident occurs. And it threatens all sense of safety these constructs once formulated.
Quick thoughts:
Not a novel with dense plot convolution; the above synopsis covers much of the story, shy its third-act thriller element. It is, however, a well-observed depiction of "comfortable" American life, saturated by technology, trivia and other cultural contrivances that detach us from mortal questions.
White noise is, of course, the indistinct wash of din that surrounds us. It's also used to mask other sounds. For example, casinos pump in white noise to cancel out room noise -- a fire-to-fight-fire kind of technique. This book tries to illustrate that the white noise that is our domestic lives is only simulacra shielding us from Real Life and Real Death confrontations.
Not really as heady as it sounds. "Fear of death" themes.
1 comment:
I enjoyed White Noise. The humor was so dry at times that I couldn't help but laugh out loud, because it reminded me so much of the academic world for which I once had plotted a life trajectory. "Real World" came along and dragged me into the music business, and I never got to fully develop my cynical, satirical side. In "White Noise" I especially liked Jack's propensity to wear sunglasses, and his reasons for it. Just more droll humor. The book is serious, but the levity and tongue-in-cheek at times makes it feel like a comedy waiting for the other shoe to drop, but instead of the inevitable punch line, it takes a more sinister turn, and yet the irony continues. Jack reminds me of a neighbor of mine back in my college days. He feels familiar; I suspect that will be true for most readers. Good writing!
Shooshie
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