The Crying of Lot 49

Calling Thomas Pynchon a “virtuoso with prose,” the Chicago Tribune compares his work to James Joyce’s Ulysses. Pynchon, winner of the National Book Award, has shocked, enthralled, and delighted fans for more than 40 years with his satire and wit.

Quite unexpectedly, Mrs. Oedipa Maas finds herself the executor of the estate of Pierce Inverarity, a man she used to know in a more-or-less intimate fashion. When Oedipa heads off to Southern California to sort through Pierce’s affairs, she becomes ensnared in a hilarious and puzzling worldwide conspiracy.

Quotes and thoughts while reading:

This book is like a firecracker with a long fuse. You're waiting, and waiting, and the suspense is building, and you're not sure what the fireworks are going to look like, but you know there are going to be fireworks, and then bam! The fuse lights, and the fireworks soar into the air.

And the writing just drips with detail, it's spectacular. This book is only 200 pages long, and feels much much longer(in a good way). But I also can't imagine what one of his full novels must be like to read. In any case, Thomas Pynchon is a fantastic writer and I'm excited to read more.