Alicia M. (aliciaaa15) reviewed on 8/6/2009

Helpful Score: 2

I loved the first half of this book. The second half...not so much. The first half was an amazing literary analysis of the perils and themes of contemporary American life. I thought from this, that I loved postmodern literature and found a great genre from which to analyze and ruminate over the problems within modern Western society. Which, I think there was, especially in Part I. Part II was interesting for its simple humor and storyline, and definitely the implicit metaphors and motifs of the "toxic event."

Part III was my least favorite part, and why this book didn't get 5 stars. The destructive and bizarre relationship between Babette and Jack was uninteresting and I couldn't have cared in least for what each of them was doing to each other. By the end of the novel, it had just gotten so weird and far fetched that I was decided in my not enjoying post modern literature. In addition, I knew DeLillo was trying to do something deep and meaningful with all the talk about death, and I believe I understood it, but it was too drawn out. The constant and obsessive yet somehow redundant thoughts about death for the last 100 pages was just a little too much for me. Perhaps I missed something of the complexity but the themes to me seemed similar. Maybe that was point in which DeLillo was then, successful, but I didn't enjoy it. Overall, it was worth a read and I'm glad I did, but I think I will be careful in what I think about a book before I'm done with it.

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