White Noise (Paperback)

Then a chemical spill brings about The Airborne Toxic Event, in which an amorphous black cloud hovers over Gladney's complacent little town, ominously darkening the splashy colors and phosphorescent whites of the super market which gives solace to so many of the local denizens, not excluding Gladney's family. The spill may also serve as a metaphor for what DeLillo calls the "white noise" in America, that insidious current in the air resulting from too many radio signals (t.v, radio, e.g.), the infatuation we as Americans have with consumerism--(note: this was written during the Reagan era). The novel also boldly deals with fear, particularly fear of death, another beast within the machine that many must eventaully face. One of the best parts of the novel occurs toward the end, when Jack Gladney has an edifying Q and A over death and the afterlife with a German nun at a hospital, a stark and unflinching illumination which I found great and daring, if not a little sad.

This is a Don DeLillo book, and those not familiar with Don DeLillo and his sometimes abstruse connotations on American living might be chary upon entering his world. This one in particular requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief; it is a satire and although at times very earnest and serious, the comedy and absurdity are always there to remind the reader of the tongue-in-cheek nature, which is expertly employed. The complaints that most people have with this novel are fairly obvious to anyone who has read DeLillo before. Though a master word craftsman, stringing along beautiful sentences on every page, DeLillo seems to struggle with creating believable dialogue, and this struggle to me is plainly obvious--the man is just too smart to understand how the majority of average people talk. But.

Unquestionably a classic read. Brilliantly plotted, with its portentous admonitions and grave illustrations of a picture-perfect community on the precipice of total disaster, DeLillo has tapped into the throbbing heart of the system, exposing it for all that it really is: waves and radiations.

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A common complaint about this novel is the disenfranchized, almost inhuman voice given the characters. In an interview with the author, he stated that his book was more like an essay on modern culture and fears rather than a character-driven novel. With that in mind, "White Noise" is far easier to digest. DeLillo's observations and cynical examinations of our human condition are hilarious, just, and jaw-droppingly intense. My version of this book is marred and disfigured with underscores and highlighted passages - indeed, there are too many of them to accurately contain. Needless to say, "White Noise" is one of those books that truly opens your mind, your heart, and your sense of humor.

I recommend this novel for anyone who wants to learn a thing or two, discover an excellent writer (who often falls below the radar), and have an insightfully good time.

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