Infinite Read

I borrowed Infinite Jest from the library on July 20, 2009. About 50 pages into it I knew I was ready to commit. Weighing in at 1079 pages (and nearly 4 lbs,) and with the due-date looming closer, I bought my own copy exactly one week later. I know this because I'm still using both receipts as book marks. Yep, Infinite Jest requires two bookmarks to read. And, yes. I'm only half way through it after 6 months.

My copy of the book has been rained on, covered in coffee, ketchup, and Jamaican sand, torn, dog-eared, and cut in half. I did that last week to make it slightly more portable. In fact, taking a scissors to it felt really good. At this point I kind of want to rip each page into 42 pieces and feed it to the gigantic raccoon that lives under our porch. I won't, though, because I want to read it again.

Honestly, I can't really say why I like it. I can say David Foster Wallace did something really special here. I recommend giving it a shot.

I got interested in DFW after reading the transcript of his 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech. Have a look*. Maybe it will make you want to read IJ, too. I'll be happy to lend you my copy when I'm finished but, be warned, it kind of smells like sushi.

* The much better, un-adapted version can be found here but that site is weird. The transcript is copyrighted so when that site gets taken down you can always buy the book, borrow it from the library, or get the audio version on iTunes.