Thomas Pynchon’s Summer Read

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Inherent Vice is “a noir-like novel set in Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s” that follows “a dope-smoking private detective named Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello.” It is 384 pages long and hits book stores tomorrow. An agency in LA is already handling the story’s film rights.

Oh yea, it also happens to be the latest from Thomas Pynchon.

The novel “has touched off a debate among fans and critics who are puzzled by Mr. Pynchon’s decision to take on the commercial format of a detective novel.”

Is it “a sophisticated parody” or is Pynchon taking a serious crack at Chandler territory? An entertaining summer read or something more? Learn about “Pynchon’s Drugstore Thriller” (via Metafilter).

Can’t wait till tomorrow to take a look? You can find an excerpt of Inherent Vice here. You can also read the LA Times’ review here.

Isaac Fitzgerald has been a firefighter, worked on a boat, and was once given a sword by a king, thereby accomplishing three out of five of his childhood goals. Formerly of The Rumpus and McSweeney’s and most recently the founding editor of BuzzFeed Books, Isaac is now the co-host of BuzzFeed News’ Twitter Morning Show, #AMtoDM. He also appears frequently on The Today Show to talk books, and is co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes) (winner of an IACP award), and the author of a YA novel and picture book forthcoming from Bloomsbury. He uses Twitter. More from this author →