Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One Sentence Description
David Foster Wallace writes a compelling set of short stories critiquing the behaviour of men in society.
⛰ What It’s About
David Foster Wallace writes a series of short stories that I think have a broad theme about relationships, largely romantic but also in general. The book also touches on topics such as the media industry, happiness, the future of love, depression, writing, and a range of others. Wallace engages the readers with interesting narratives and it is difficult to describe just how he does it. The book can overall be described as critiquing men’s egotistical behavior in the world, especially in relation to how they treat women.
🔍 How I Discovered It
Joshua Fields Millburn from The Minimalists recommended David Foster Wallace’s writing as some of the best, so I decided to look for some of Wallace’s books at the local bookshop, Bizarre Bazaar. This one I found first and chose to read.
🧠 Thoughts
I enjoyed reading the book a lot, being simultaneously humorous but also dark and horrid as to what some of the stories describe of these men.
The brief interviews gave an exaggerated view into some of the often sadistic and misogynistic traits of men’s behavior. There were certainly some advice as to how not to act or what to do.
It took me a while to finish this book as things came up and I stopped reading for a while, but every time I picked it back up, was well worth sitting down and reading.
Standout stories: Forever Ahead, the last BIHM section, Adult World
What I Liked About It
I liked how you weren’t always stuck to one plot line, as it shifted each chapter. I also liked the level of thought put into each character, especially in the interviews, getting into the headspace of some very weird men.
As always, Wallace’s level of vocabulary and experimental syntax is formidable.
What I Didn’t Like About It
Sometimes it was difficult for me to understand what Wallace was getting at. Furthermore, keeping track of where you are with footnotes hurts my brain.
🥰 Who Would Like It?
Anyone who likes good writing, post-modern literature, short stories, or is critical of male behaviour in society.
📚 Related Books
Also written by Wallace is Infinite Jest and A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, both of which I would recommend. Otherwise, I haven’t come across another book quite like it, yet.