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Infinite Jest cover art

Infinite Jest

By: David Foster Wallace
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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Editorial reviews

"Pratt is a startlingly good narrator, dry and expressive, with the kind of vocal control that evokes dozens of characters with only slight but very distinctive variations of accent and affect.... Pratt hears the humor in Wallace's work, and lets you in on the joke without resorting to overheated wackiness. His control and stamina are impressive." (John Schwartz, The New York Times Book Review)

Publisher's Summary

A gargantuan, mind-altering comedy about the Pursuit of Happiness in America set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction, Infinite Jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are.

Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. It is an exuberant, uniquely American exploration of the passions that make us human - and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do.

Please note: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material, including endnotes, will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

A Note from Hachette Audio
We are deeply honored to be the audio publisher of David Foster Wallace's works, and are keenly aware of the great responsibility that attends the privilege. We felt that it was important to make Infinite Jest accessible in the audio format as soon as we were able, and are gratified to find that there is an audience that has been waiting for just this occasion.

Some early listeners have been disappointed that the novel's endnotes are currently available only in text form, to be read. Choosing to include the endnotes as a downloadable PDF file, rather than as a recording by the narrator, was a difficult decision for all involved, and we debated different options at length before beginning production. The audio format allows us great opportunities to showcase Wallace's love of language and grammatical dexterity, to illuminate characters and their relationships, and to bring out some of the unique humor inherent in his work. However, there are also certain limitations to the format, and we needed let go of some of our preconceived notions about the form of Infinite Jest, as we must when we adapt any complex work to audio.

The compromise we ended up with was heavily influenced by practical concerns, especially those regarding the limitations of current technology. Because some of the endnotes are pages-long digressions, if we had them read in line with the main narrative, we would have run the risk of making the already complex story unfollowable for listeners. In the end, we decided the audiobook would flow best by having the endnotes indicated by number throughout the narrative by an additional narrator. However, we acknowledge that these choices may not work for all listeners. Accordingly, our future plans are to produce the endnotes as an additional, stand-alone audio piece.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2006 David Foster Wallace (P)2012 Hachette

Critic Reviews

“[A]n exhilarating, breathtaking experience. This book teems with so much life and death, so much hilarity and pain, so much gusto in the face of despair that one cheers for the future of our literature.” (Newsday)

"[A] postmodern saga of damnation and salvation…resourceful, hilarious, intelligent, and unique.” (The Atlantic Monthly)

"[C]ompulsively entertaining… one of the big talents of his generation, a writer of virtuosic skills who can seemingly do anything.” (New York Times)

What listeners say about Infinite Jest

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Didn’t grab me

Pretentious is on the tip of my tongue- but actually I’m sure it’s totally sincere- I just can’t relate. I gave it an hour- it’s just outside my sphere. Even though I wanted to get involved- lots of people I think very highly of think this book is inspired- but it’s either too hard or too far away for me. I’m exchanging it.

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Wow

Wow don't know how I'm suppose to feel after that but I liked it. Good narrator as well.

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  • tom
  • 23-08-2017

infinite trip

a gargantuan piece of american literary prose, at times it takes you with it to places you would never expect at others it will totally leave you behind. the language is thorough, beautiful, descriptive and at times totally erratic. There are moments so well represented that you feel yourself drawn into the story. it's deeply sad, deeply troubling and in the end i found myself thinking, what exactly did i just listen to, what was that.

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Beautifully written and really beautifully read

This is such a antidote to the sound bite era in which we find ourselves. And Sean Pratt does Wallace’s story justice with a beautiful narration! So worth the 56 odd hours of my time!

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  • jdk
  • 17-05-2022

Brilliant

What can I say following so very many words? Infinite Jest is sometimes hilarious, at other times tragic, and wise novel about addiction and nearly everything else in a near future world not unlike our own. Even better the second time round.

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It’s kind of a universe

I revisit this all the time, just to spend some time around the characters. It’s a long rambling combination of parts and the sad thing about that is some short passages on depression, addiction or isolation stand alone and not everyone will get to take them in, due to the overall size of the thing

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wow

one of life's great reading experiences. an amazing artist is Mr Foster Wallace. read this book.

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A work of art.

contrasting carefully crafted delicious prose with pithy comedy. I am grateful to have heard it. about about to restart it all over again.

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Genius who needed a better editor

Great book in a circuitous, fractured, imperfect, frustrating way. Might read it again. well see.

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mixed bag

be prepared for massive amount of details.
started to enjoy it halfway through.
disappointed by the end.

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