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V.
First published 1963 · 670 pages
A dizzying, encyclopedic plunge into the chaotic entropy of the twentieth century, where historical obsession meets bohemian apathy.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like wandering through a brilliant, chaotic carnival built on the ruins of the twentieth century. It is a sprawling, labyrinthine experience that demands patience as it wildly oscillates between the aimless, jazz-soaked apathy of bohemian New York and dense, paranoid plunges into European history. The prose is a dizzying high-wire act, blending encyclopedic erudition with bawdy slapstick, leaving you simultaneously exhausted and exhilarated. It is not a book that offers neat resolutions; instead, it immerses you in a profound sense of entropy and the absurd mechanization of modern life. This is a playground for the intellectually curious reader who delights in postmodern puzzles, historical rabbit holes, and the sheer, overwhelming exuberance of language.
- Mood
- paranoid
- labyrinthine
- surreal
- bohemian
- frenetic
- Tone
- satirical
- absurdist
- erudite
- cynical
- irreverent
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- entropy and decay · the search for meaning in chaos · the mechanization of humanity · historical paranoia · aimlessness of youth
- The writing
- Dense, wildly inventive, and encyclopedic, blending highbrow historical erudition with lowbrow slapstick and dizzying linguistic acrobatics.
- The arc
- Moves from a chaotic, aimless drift through bohemian apathy into a dizzying, obsessive descent into historical paranoia, ultimately leaving the reader suspended in unresolved ambiguity.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love sprawling, challenging postmodern puzzles that prioritize intellectual play, historical rabbit holes, and absurd humor over traditional narrative structure.
Content notes
- sexual content
- violence
- historical racism and slurs
- misogyny
- antisemitism
About the book
Having just been released from the Navy, Benny Profane is content to lead a slothful existence with his friends, where the only real ambition is to perfect the art of "schlemihlhood," or being a dupe, and where "responsibility" is a dirty word. Among his pals--called the Whole Sick Crew--is Slab, an artist who can't seem to paint anything other than cheese danishes. But Profane's life changes dramatically when he befriends Stencil, an active ambitious young man with an intriguing mission--to find out the identity of a woman named V [Victoria Wren], who knew Stencil's father during the war, but who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.
Description from Open Library.
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