Thomas Pynchon Is Having A Moment. Let's Have One with Him

Happy Thomas Pynchon Day to all who celebrate! Today is the day Pynchon's probably last novel, Shadow Ticket is out and in the world. My review of the novel is up at Chicago Review of Books. Here's a little preview:

Thomas Pynchon would prefer not to be introduced. Which is fine, because by now, on the occasion of the publication of his ninth novel, Shadow Ticket, the 88-year-old famously reclusive writer needs no introduction anyway.

Pynchon is one of only a few members of the pantheon of writers whose names are also adjectives. Orwellian (dystopian). Kafkaesque (surreal). Dickensian (includes orphans?).

Please click over and read -- I had A LOT of fun writing this one. My editor called it "a banger." 😅

So yes, Shadow Ticket is out in the world. And woah boy, this is A MAJOR Publishing Event! 

Here is how I know this is Major Publishing Event: First, a couple bookstores around the city, and in Milwaukee (hello, Boswell Books -- one of my favorites!) where the novel is partially set, had midnight release parties last night. When is the last time you can remember midnight release parties for a tricky literary fiction novel?!?

Second: Let me tell you a quick story about just getting an Advanced Reading Copy to be able to review it. Normally, the process is very easy -- you email the publisher, tell them you're reviewing for a publication, and they send you the ARC. This time, I had to prove the assignment, which meant getting the Chicago Review of Books editor to email the publishing team to assure I had indeed been assigned the review. When the ARC arrived, it was an individually numbered copy. Mine is No. 101 of 192 -- which, what an odd number of ARCs to make! I've been writing about books on the internet for almost 20 years, and I've never seen that before. I thanked the team profusely and told them I'd guard it with my life. 

Thirdly, the Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced on Thursday 10/9, and Pynchon is one of the favorites. NicerOdds -- a British bookmaker -- has him at 11/1 odds (the same as Haruki Murakami, by the way -- either of those two winning would make my week!). Can you imagine our boy Tommy pulling down a Nobel on top of everything else? Would he attend the ceremony?!? 

BUT ALSO! Have you seen One Battle After Another??? The Paul Thomas Anderson film has been making huge waves in the cinephile community -- and it's "inspired by" Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland. I have not read Vineland, but I saw the movie last weekend. Verdict: It's worth the hype...and then some. I'm far from an expert film reviewer, but it gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me. 

Finally, all this chat about Pynchon has renewed interest in Pynchon's masterpiece, Gravity's Rainbow. I spent six months tangling with that novel way back in 2010. I felt like I survived GR, more than read it. Here was a conversation (made up, of course) I had with my boy Tommy on the occasion of finishing that nearly impenetrable novel. 

Now I'm off to rewatch The Simpsons, Episode 10, Season 15 for the 782nd time. "Here's your quote: 'Thomas Pynchon loved this book, almost as much as he loves cameras!' Hey, over here! Have your picture taken with a reclusive author! Today only, we'll throw in a free autograph! But wait, there's more!" 😂