Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
This novel is a complex, multi-layered narrative that explores themes of addiction, recovery, and the human condition in a near-future society. The story is set in a tennis academy and a halfway house for recovering addicts, and it intertwines the lives of its numerous characters, including a gifted but troubled teenage tennis prodigy, his filmmaker father, and a group of Quebecois separatists. The book is known for its length, intricate plot, and extensive use of footnotes.
The 321st greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1996
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Very Long
- Pages
- 1079
- Words
- 543,000
- Original Language
- English
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 22 lists:
- 3rd on Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Literary Hub)
- 4th on As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- 5th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 13th on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 56th on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 64th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 71st on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 87th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 90th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 191st on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books, 100 Companions (Zeit Online)
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013 (Flavor Wire)
- The Graphic Canon (Book)
- The Great American Novels (The Atlantic)
- 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities (XLSemanal and Zenda)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)