First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

It’s been a while since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Do knows that “love” is another one of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble.

 In this lively yarn, Thomas Pynchon, working in an unaccustomed genre, provides a classic illustration of the principle that if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there… or… if you were there, they you… or wait, is it…

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad that we were all able to make it through another week. I do hope that, despite the challenges, you were able to end the week on a high note. The past week has been quite eventful here in the Philippines, with yet another powerful earthquake striking the southern part of the country. I hope everyone is safe. Meanwhile, here in the capital, the weather has been unpredictable. The days have been marked by alternating hot and cold spells. Just this afternoon, there was a heavy downpour. The skies are overcast, but it still feels hot outside. It’s no surprise that several people are feeling under the weather. As such, I hope everyone is doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Wishing you all a great weekend ahead.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. This blogging meme is a great opportunity to reflect on my current read, and it has become an essential part of my weekly book blogging routine. These updates also serve as springboards for my eventual book reviews. This month, I’ve been focusing on other books that are part of my reading challenges. I recently completed all the works of European literature on my list, so now I’m turning my attention to books by American—both North and South—and African writers. So far, I’ve been reading works by North American authors. Interestingly, my current read, Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice, is not part of any of these reading challenges.

To be fair, I started reading Inherent Vice thinking it was the Pynchon novel I listed for my 2025 Beat the Backlist Challenge. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually The Crying of Lot 49 that I had included. Nevertheless, since I had already started Inherent Vice, I decided to stick with it. I suppose it worked out anyway, since Pynchon recently released a new novel, Shadow Ticket, his first in over a decade. I can’t wait to read it! After all, Pynchon is a writer who has long fascinated me—especially after I learned about his reclusiveness. His name was once again mentioned in the lead-up to the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, a conversation he’s perennially part of. Back in 2021, I finally read my first Pynchon novel, Gravity’s Rainbow. However, it would take a couple more years before I picked up another one of his works.

Anyway, back to my current read. Inherent Vice was originally published in 2009. The novel transports readers to late 1960s Los Angeles. At the heart of the story is Larry “Doc” Sportello, a private investigator. The main action is set into motion when Doc’s former girlfriend, Shasta Fay Hepworth, unexpectedly shows up at his Gordita Beach residence. We learn that Shasta is now involved with real estate mogul Michael Z. “Mickey” Wolfmann. She enlists her former lover’s help in foiling a plot hatched by Mickey’s wife, Sloane, and her lover, Riggs Warbling. Shasta was privy to their plan, with Sloane and Riggs even offering her a large sum of money to help them execute it. Their scheme is simple: they intend to kidnap Mickey and have him committed to a psychiatric facility.

This is just the first part of a twofold plan. Once Mickey is institutionalized, Sloane, Riggs, and Shasta would make off with his fortune. However, things are not as straightforward as they seem. Just as Doc is about to start his investigation, he is greeted by yet another unexpected visitor. Tariq Khalil, a Black nationalist, hires Doc to mediate with fellow ex-con Glen Charlock, who owes him money. Glen, one of Mickey’s bodyguards, is also a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist group. To kick off his investigation, Doc visits Channel View Estates, one of Mickey’s real estate developments, only to be knocked unconscious. When he wakes up, he finds himself at the center of a grisly crime scene. He is interrogated by Detective Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen of the LAPD—one of Doc’s longtime nemeses. Doc is informed that Glen has been murdered, while Mickey has mysteriously vanished.

Thanks to his lawyer, Doc is able to get out of jail—only to be greeted by yet another unexpected visitor. Hope Harlingen, the wife of a musician named Coy Harlingen who was believed to be dead, appears with leads suggesting that her husband might still be alive. She hires Doc to trace these leads. It’s quite a way to start a story—eventful and fast-paced, not letting readers take a breather. But then again, I expect nothing less from Pynchon. From what I’ve read so far, Inherent Vice—and yes, drugs are prevalent here—is a labyrinthine novel that promises to take readers deep into the LA underground. I won’t be surprised if Doc finds himself at the center of even more investigations and mind-boggling mysteries.

With so many threads to follow, the novel can be quite a challenge to untangle. But I strongly believe that this complexity is intentional—to obscure the connections lying just beneath the surface. I wouldn’t be surprised if all these mysteries are ultimately interconnected. Finding their solutions, however, is proving to be entertaining. As the story progresses, I find myself drawing parallels with other books. The prevalence of drugs reminds me of T.C. Boyle’s Drop City and William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. I’m also reminded of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest and, more recently, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. I suppose this is all to say that Inherent Vice feels like a quintessential work of American literature. Still, it manages to stand on its own.

I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds. There are a lot of questions that need answering. What makes Inherent Vice even more interesting for me is that it’s quite different from Gravity’s Rainbow, at least in terms of storyline. However, the execution and thematic elements are somewhat similar—both are richly complex. It’s going to take me some time to finish the novel, but that comes with the Pynchon territory. How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) have you been reading over the weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!