Infinite Jest Readalong discussion

Anyone else having a hard time getting into this? The lack of posts sure seems to imply so haha.

Aaron wrote: "Anyone else having a hard time getting into this? The lack of posts sure seems to imply so haha."

I only managed to get around to starting it at the start of this week and so far I'm not enjoying it. I'm on page 169 and finding it difficult. It seems fractured and separated between the sections of story.

I'm not giving up on it, not just yet anyway.

It is definitely a challenging read, so far as I can tell, but, being on page 358 today, I can also say that it is very satisfying to see the little pieces that seemed random at first starting to make actual sense. So, to use an apothegm (yes, I am marking the words in the book that are new to me with a pencil, english not being my first language and all)that comes to play a part in the book, "Keep Coming" (no spoilers intended). It seems to be worth the effort.

Reading this at the same time as a few other books so only getting through 20-30 pages a night. Mixed feelings, after years of hearing the book lauded to the heights. Sometimes seems seriously over-written, sub-Pynchon bollocks, but then certain passages reveal brilliance (mainly the ones about addiction - hmmmm?) I'll stick with it but I won't be getting through it fast....

I’m having a love-hate relationship with this book.

I love: every section dealing with addiction, depression, and suffering in general; almost every scene from the Ennet House; the dialogues between Marathe and Steeply; the dialogues between Hal and Mario; the dialogues between Hal and Orin; some of the jokes.

I don’t like: almost every scene from the tennis academy, which sadly for me takes up most of the book. I just can’t see the point of any of those long rambles on time schedules and the inner architecture of the building. And the dialogues between the students seem so unreal to me… Maybe I’m missing something; I still have a long way to go anyway.

What makes me keep going is the fact that the sections I do like are actually among my favourite pieces of writing ever; I don’t think I’ve ever read better descriptions of human suffering, addiction and loneliness.