Underworld by Don DeLillo Readalong #ReadingBigBooks discussion

Lets discus part 4 and part 6 here.

Well, it seems not to be the most exciting choice we made, judging it on the fact that so many people are struggling with it. Disruptive narration that is Delillo's footprint makes it a bit difficult journey with such a thick novel.
It makes it a bit of a vignette kind of novel which makes me settle in the narration over and over again. As soon as I feel good with the flow it breaks.
The dialogs are very tv series like, snappy and quite dramatic. The language is beautiful though.

Having a great time with this book, but I can understand why so many struggled or quit. DeLillo likes to talk about a subject to an excessive extent (baseball, garbage, the shooting, etc.).

Currently on part 5

On part 6. I enjoy reading this, but it's a slow read because I don't necessarily feel compelled to read on, knowing the next chapter will be different characters, different setting. I've become a little bit tired of it since part 5. It's quite relentless, with there being no narrative arc or stylistic or thematic change. I think it could easily be a couple of hundred pages shorter. Some of the characters are very interesting (Nick/Matt/Marvin). I think this book needs better female characters though.

Looks like it's just me and the tumbleweed. Final thoughts on this book having finished it the other day. This was a 5 star book at the half-way stage but in the end (a very strong) 4 stars because I don't think it's length was justified. It's the kind of book and writing that I love. Searching for the meaning of things, always scratching below the surface. Complex characters that are as much a mystery to themselves than to us. The structure is clever because it disrupts our reading and we don't become too absorbed in plot.


SPOILER(ish) ALERT

Well maybe not much of a spoiler but I'll put it there anyway. When we finally get to the shooting it's such a brilliant anti-climax. This for me was the best moment in the book. What was the meaning of it? Why did Nick do it? Was there no meaning in it? Is there meaning in anything? Life is absurd. Oh boy, I better get the whisky.