Don DeLillo: White noise (2002, Picador)
326 pages
English language
Published Nov. 7, 2002 by Picador.
White Noise is the eighth novel by Don DeLillo, published by Viking Press in 1985. It won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.White Noise is an example of postmodern literature. It is widely considered DeLillo's breakout work and brought him to the attention of a much larger audience. Time included the novel in its list of "Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005." DeLillo originally wanted to call the book Panasonic, but the Panasonic Corporation objected.
I recently re-read this book in anticipation of the movie being released on Netflix, and I found I enjoyed it even more than the first time I read it (as an undergrad English major) 30 years ago. With the advent of the internet and social media, it's even more timely now than it was when it was written.
I've hated very few books, but this is one of them. Maybe it's an allegory for meaninglessness, but all I got was the meaninglessness.
Patriarch of a post-modern Brady Bunch grapples with his crippling fear of death against the ulltra-consumerist backdrop of middle America. Tragedy, absurdity, and hilarity ensue. Rounding up from 3.5 stars.
