White Noise

I gave 2 stars because it is clear DeLillo can write very well, however, generally speaking, it felt like the author was trying too hard to be different resulting in a wandering and rather pointless read.

White Noise is one of those books trying to offer commentary on American life and death but misses its mark by being over-the-top pedantic. I understand that DeLillo does this to connect the book to American life, but it makes for an incredibly sluggish read. The characters have no agency in their lives; everything, from the fake “disasters” to the Airborn Toxic Event, are just simulations they enact. Yes, I understand this is the point: people going through life are subjected to events that they cannot prevent and can only respond to.

DeLillo touches on issues that are important, such as over-the-top advertising, pollution, violence, drug use, death, etc. but only in a passing hazy way.

I suppose that my complaint with the book is not that it does not do what it sets out to do but rather that the philosophical backing is what it sets out to do is that of a nihilistic 14-year-old.