Vineland - Thomas Pynchon (1990)
I really want to like Thomas Pynchon, but after two novels of his down now, I'm not sure that I'm capable of getting him. It's crazy to me that there exists a book that is more difficult to follow than David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest (which I loved), but Vineland is it. It started off more cohesively than The Crying of Lot 49, but as it is roughly 250 pages longer, it was even easier to get derailed by all of the intricate and bizarre plot lines. I have no idea how to even begin explaining what exactly took place within this novel. I can try, and probably cover all the bare essentials, but am not willing to put forth the effort. There are definitely some stylistic things to like, though. Pynchon's influence on DFW is pretty obvious (in fact, Vineland almost feels like a DFW novel as it dips into a plethora of genres and is post-modern as hell). A lot of Pynchon's imagery is entertaining if not beautiful, and his sense of humor is impressive (and at times right up my alley). I also think the subtle references to The Crying of Lot 49 are a fun little detail. However, the fact remains that Vineland was nearly impossible to follow, and that is a turn off.
Skinny Legs and All - Tom Robbins (1990)
Skinny Legs and All is only the second Tom Robbins novel I've read, and I think it's pretty safe to say that I probably don't need to read any more. All the charm and magic that was Still Life With Woodpecker is just obnoxious here. The weirdness of Robbins' writing style is still funny and entertaining, and I enjoyed if not loved the majority of the characters (major, minor and inanimate objects). Skinny Legs and All showcases a hefty amount of magical realism and absurdism, which is fine by me, but for some reason here it feels a little stale. I think that the greatest hurdle to get over is that Robbins has a lot of ideas concerning politics, religion, culture, art and sex, and it seems like he tried to compact them all into this 400+ page novel. Unfortunately, those ideas are way too many and too complex to really have any effect. It doesn't help that Skinny Legs and All features the usual intricate, multiple plot lines. It's hard to keep track of everything going on. In spite of all this, it was still an enjoyable read. I still look forward to spending time with Jitterbug Perfume, eventually.
Push - Sapphire (1996)
Tragic, depressing, graphic and utterly disturbing. These words usually describe books and films that I really love. However, Push may have been slightly too much. Not in the awesome way that American Psycho was, though. I don't know, I guess that here, Sapphire literally pushes the idea that beauty can somehow come out of even the most fucked up situations. However, the character of Precious Jones is in the shit a bit too deep, and the positive, inspirational side of this novel may be a bit too unrealistic. I apologize for being such a downer, but these were the first thoughts that crossed my mind when I finished. Aside from that, the writing, from a technical standpoint (not that I'm a pro, obviously) got a little annoying at times. Aside from all of that, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading Push. As I'm sure I've stated before, I love tragic and disturbing, and this, Sapphire's first novel, has those elements in spades. And despite my complaining of the somewhat forced hopeful message, the inspirational moments were pretty charming (albeit rushed and a little random). I'll admit that I'm ignorant regarding the writing of this novel. Is it based on a true story? I don't know. Whatever. Solid book.
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