Book Review: Inherent Vice
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Like most literature grad students, I occasionally struggled to come up with good paper topics for my seminars. Once, while grappling with a particularly challenging novel, I consulted a friend for advice. He was full of helpful suggestions, but he also slipped in a stumper. “What’s the texture of the text?” he asked me.
Because of our conversation I was able to complete the paper, though I ignored the texture question because I had no idea how to answer it. But I never forgot it, probably because it puzzled me so completely.
Finally, some 15 years later, thanks to Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel, Inherent Vice, I think I get it. This book, more than any I’ve ever read, actually has a palpable texture. The aesthetic experience is consistent throughout, and it continuously evokes the same feeling - velvet haze.
From the first page, the book envelops you in a comfortable fog that persists till the last word. The prose is velvety smooth, lulling you into a relaxed state, and the story is just a little bit out of focus. And perhaps most importantly, marijuana smoke is prominently featured in the book, lending a hazy quality to countless scenes throughout.
Set in the fictional Southern California town of Gordita Beach during the mid-1960s, the book is a loose parody of the classic hard-boiled detective novels of that era. The main character, Larry “Doc” Sportello, is a private detective a la Sam Spade - tough, fearless, and able to take care of himself in any situation.
But unlike Spade, or any other fictional private detective from the noir genre, Doc is a dyed-in-the-wool stoner. He smokes constantly, regardless of circumstance. His friends are all stoners, too, and much of the book’s humor comes from the dopey things they do.
The story begins when Doc’s ex-girlfriend, Shasta Faye, pays an unexpected nighttime visit to his beachside apartment. Despite Doc’s high hopes, Shasta’s visit is professional in nature not personal. She’s currently dating a married L.A. real estate mogul named Mickey Wolfmann, and she comes to Doc because she’s been dragged into a "creepy little scheme” hatched by Mickey’s wife to rob him of his fortune and have him committed to an insane asylum.
The plot takes off from there, and we spend the next 365 pages following Doc as he works his way in and out of trouble with an entertaining cast of characters, including dopers, babes, badasses, and, of course, cops. No matter how dire the situation, stoned or sober, Doc keeps his head and comes out on top.
The book features several convoluted but related subplots, each of which is 'resolved' as the book approaches completion. But in keeping with the haziness theme, most of the resolutions fail to satisfy. To the casual reader, many questions remain. And the more I’ve reflected on the book, the more I think that’s by design.
Inherent Vice is a substantial departure for Thomas Pynchon. Most of his books are historical epics that wrestle with big ideas and explore the relationship between society’s most powerful citizens and its most powerless. They are filled with critical observations that simply aren’t available elsewhere in literature.
But Inherent Vice is not that kind of book. I believe it was written to be enjoyed, not to be studied. The velvet haze feels good as it passes through your consciousness - just don’t overthink it.
Finally, some 15 years later, thanks to Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel, Inherent Vice, I think I get it. This book, more than any I’ve ever read, actually has a palpable texture. The aesthetic experience is consistent throughout, and it continuously evokes the same feeling - velvet haze.
From the first page, the book envelops you in a comfortable fog that persists till the last word. The prose is velvety smooth, lulling you into a relaxed state, and the story is just a little bit out of focus. And perhaps most importantly, marijuana smoke is prominently featured in the book, lending a hazy quality to countless scenes throughout.
Set in the fictional Southern California town of Gordita Beach during the mid-1960s, the book is a loose parody of the classic hard-boiled detective novels of that era. The main character, Larry “Doc” Sportello, is a private detective a la Sam Spade - tough, fearless, and able to take care of himself in any situation.
But unlike Spade, or any other fictional private detective from the noir genre, Doc is a dyed-in-the-wool stoner. He smokes constantly, regardless of circumstance. His friends are all stoners, too, and much of the book’s humor comes from the dopey things they do.
The story begins when Doc’s ex-girlfriend, Shasta Faye, pays an unexpected nighttime visit to his beachside apartment. Despite Doc’s high hopes, Shasta’s visit is professional in nature not personal. She’s currently dating a married L.A. real estate mogul named Mickey Wolfmann, and she comes to Doc because she’s been dragged into a "creepy little scheme” hatched by Mickey’s wife to rob him of his fortune and have him committed to an insane asylum.
The plot takes off from there, and we spend the next 365 pages following Doc as he works his way in and out of trouble with an entertaining cast of characters, including dopers, babes, badasses, and, of course, cops. No matter how dire the situation, stoned or sober, Doc keeps his head and comes out on top.
The book features several convoluted but related subplots, each of which is 'resolved' as the book approaches completion. But in keeping with the haziness theme, most of the resolutions fail to satisfy. To the casual reader, many questions remain. And the more I’ve reflected on the book, the more I think that’s by design.
Inherent Vice is a substantial departure for Thomas Pynchon. Most of his books are historical epics that wrestle with big ideas and explore the relationship between society’s most powerful citizens and its most powerless. They are filled with critical observations that simply aren’t available elsewhere in literature.
But Inherent Vice is not that kind of book. I believe it was written to be enjoyed, not to be studied. The velvet haze feels good as it passes through your consciousness - just don’t overthink it.
Here Is The Writer : Chris Shayne, CFA
Chris is a native Californian with more than ten years experience marketing, developing, and documenting complex fixed-income and credit derivative systems. Before embarking on his career as a techno-quant marketeer, he led a simple life as part-time English teacher who waited tables to pay the bills. In between shifts (and free meals) he spent his time reading, surfing, and exploring the bountiful nightlife in San Francisco. Nowadays he spends most of his free time with his wife and two daughters, though he still manages to save enough time to follow his beloved Cal Golden Bears.
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