Windy but precise, laden with words that have no life outside the dictionary, and generously slathered with footnotes, David Foster Wallace has achieved acclaim for a kind of writing style seldom seen outside of graduate English programs. Of course, it also helps that his essays for Harper’s, the New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly and other magazines are deeply informative and surprisingly engaging. Another part of their appeal lies in his willingness to observe himself as an awkward outsider in all-American settings such as a state fair or a cruise ship, with results that are often hilarious. This new book brings together Wallace’s ventures into weird, new landscapes from the last few years, including a lobster festival and a booth with a conservative radio talk show host.
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