"White Noise" is a National Book Award winner from 1985. Here are excerpts from an editorial review from Amazon by Jan Bultmann:
"Something is amiss in a small college town in Middle America. Something subliminal, something omnipresent, something hard to put your finger on. For example, teachers and students at the grade school are falling mysteriously ill:
Investigators said it could be the ventilating system, the paint or varnish, the foam insulation .... or perhaps something deeper, finer-grained, more closely woven into the fabric of things.
"J.A.K. Gladney, world-renowned as the living center, the absolute font, of Hitler Studies in North America in the mid-1980s, describes the malaise affecting his town in a superbly ironic and detached manner. But even he fails to mask his disquiet. There is menace in the air, and ultimately it is made manifest: a poisonous cloud--an 'airborne toxic event' --unleashed by an industrial accident floats over the town, requiring evacuation. In the aftermath, as the residents adjust to new and blazingly brilliant sunsets, Gladney and his family must confront their own poses, night terrors, self-deceptions, and secrets."
How does Jan. 1 sound for a start date?
10 comments:
Cool! This is a book I always thought I SHOULD read. Jan. 1 works for me unless I have to order it, in which case I might need a bit longer.
Looking forward to it.
Sounds fascinating. Can't wait to read it!
Glad to hear it! If anyone is still short a copy in a few weeks and wants to put the start date out a bit, no problem. I think I saw a copy at Half-Price and will head over there ... Right now I'm dallying with Henry Miller.
Sounds great!
Viking has a critical edition that might help the discussion. I'll try to get a copy of it.
No fair using critical editions!
My having a critical edition levels the playing field!
I've never been of the opinion that our discussions need "help"!
I should have specified that it would help the discussion by allowing me to make intelligent comments!
You are perfectly capable of making intelligent comments on your own! (I find this constant exclaiming heart-warming). Besides the point is to cultivate your own thinking on a book and discuss it with others in the club.
But OK. Just promise that when someone asks "what did you think about this or that?" that you'll share what YOU actually think, not what Harold Bloom or some other professional literary critic thinks.
Actually, I just need commentary to jump-start my own thinking. When I was an English major taking literature classes, I was always lost for the first 30 minutes or so of discussing a book, then everything came together for me and I was able to develop my own analysis. I'm hoping that a critical edition will have a similar effect on me.
Oh! I almost forgot to exclaim!
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