White Noise, by Don Delillo **3/4

This is a fun book, and I can understand why it's well-liked and important historically. This is the third Delillo book I've read, and he has proven himself to be a master of books about nothing that somehow manage to have significance anyway, because Delillo makes nothing happen while discussing life issues of major importance. The TV show Seinfeld is famous for being about nothing, when of course it was really about life's minutiae and the absurdities all of us deal with on a day to day basis. In much the same way, Delillo finds fascinating ways to create stories about commonplace activities while simultaneously exposing human fears and challenges that accompany them. The characters in White Noise don't really do anything of significance in the course of the book, but their concerns are significant and real. This book is funny too, somehow, though it has a much larger resonance than that. It's also pretty easy reading and not too big, so although it's not my favorite Delillo, it's probably the one I would recommend to people as a good starting place.

My only real complaint about the book is that the ending feels a bit forced and unnecessary to me. I discussed this with my friend, Craig, recently, and he found it disastrous, which I can understand although I find it easier to deal with than he does. It's kind of like DeLillo decided to suddenly create a plot when previously there hadn't been one, and I'm sure for some readers that makes the book a bit more significant, though for me is just an unfortunate sidelight. In any case, I still found the book worthwhile and enjoyable.
(Fall 2007)

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