made me giggle a lot. the whole thing is a frenzied hallucinatory noir pastiche. i don't understand how anyone can call this slow paced. some parts drag on and some i couldn't get enough of. prose reminded me of the way william gibson draws you into a world, and there are some shockingly poignant passages. my first pynchon. commentary on communication, paranoia, the development and power of narrative, self, relation, belief, power, grief. there's an incredible density to it interspersed with overwhelming spectacle. finished this while camping, listening to a chorus of birds as the air cools with the setting sun.