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A review by edick
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I feel that like many, I seek out David Foster Wallace's writings when I feel I need them, to soothe the ache of living in an overstimulating world, to feel less lonely in my own human struggles, or to just laugh at the absurdity of both.
The Pale King was a bittersweet undertaking, as it's unabashedly unfinished, and I felt constantly reminded that I was nearing the end of Wallace's whole creative output the closer I got to the back cover. When I'd step back after reading it for a bit night to night, my thoughts swirled constantly on how I felt about this one. Was he trying too hard to test what a 21st-century audience would put up with in terms of boredom? His other stuff was no stranger to that accusation. Will this give me any resolution, or will its "unfinishedness" be to its detriment?
After a bit I put those questions away, as I knew they didn't really matter for my time spent actually reading. If you're like me, you really appreciate the windows of humanity and sincerity that Wallace was so great at constructing -- the ultra-specificity of many of the vignettes is something I truly appreciate, and I would say The Pale King delivers. The quirky cast and supernatural periphery are still there, and as it churns along you start to see the hints at his ideas for weaving all the seemingly random loose ends together -- the editor's inclusion of some of his notes towards the end was a nice addition to this aspect.
All in all, The Pale King was a fun and somewhat unique meditation on boredom, something that's been on my mind plenty as of late, and as our environment continues to lend itself more to stunted attention spans, as well as the prospect of having banal work automated, I'm excited to see how well this one might age.
The Pale King was a bittersweet undertaking, as it's unabashedly unfinished, and I felt constantly reminded that I was nearing the end of Wallace's whole creative output the closer I got to the back cover. When I'd step back after reading it for a bit night to night, my thoughts swirled constantly on how I felt about this one. Was he trying too hard to test what a 21st-century audience would put up with in terms of boredom? His other stuff was no stranger to that accusation. Will this give me any resolution, or will its "unfinishedness" be to its detriment?
After a bit I put those questions away, as I knew they didn't really matter for my time spent actually reading. If you're like me, you really appreciate the windows of humanity and sincerity that Wallace was so great at constructing -- the ultra-specificity of many of the vignettes is something I truly appreciate, and I would say The Pale King delivers. The quirky cast and supernatural periphery are still there, and as it churns along you start to see the hints at his ideas for weaving all the seemingly random loose ends together -- the editor's inclusion of some of his notes towards the end was a nice addition to this aspect.
All in all, The Pale King was a fun and somewhat unique meditation on boredom, something that's been on my mind plenty as of late, and as our environment continues to lend itself more to stunted attention spans, as well as the prospect of having banal work automated, I'm excited to see how well this one might age.