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Infinite Jest

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Infinite Jest

By: David Foster Wallace
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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About this listen

Somewhere in the not-so-distant future the residents of Ennet House, a Boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby Enfield Tennis Academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of Infinite Jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and expire in a state of catatonic bliss....

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2008 David Foster Wallace (P)2008 Hachette Audio UK Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

"A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything." (New York Times)

"Wallace is a superb comedian of culture...his exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight." (James Woods, Guardian)

"One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory." (Sunday Times)
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This novel has it all. Extraordinarily expansive story with a wonderfully resonant narration. I loved every minute and will definitely go back to the book and the Audible. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea but if you're interested in all things postmodern, check it out. I learnt so much from this work, by reading & listening, often at the same time.

A uniquemarathon ~ worth the effort

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Although Infinite Jest is not a book for everyone, it's a book I'm loving as a result of listening to Sean Pratt's amazing reading. However, you have to really love the English language and to have a critical outlook on the world to connect to the book.

I'd read some of Wallace's other pieces before starting Infinite Jest: his essay on Joseph Frank's biography of Dostoyevsky (in 'Consider the Lobster') is what got me into his writing. I'd suggest starting there with him if you like Dostoyevsky. And I'd watch some of his many interviews on youtube.

Brilliant narration of a brilliant book

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Plodding but just the most amazingly captivating, malifilous, silky smooth writing. Yoga for your mind, pilates for the soul. Humorous, horrific and brutally honest. This, to me, is the best book I've ever read/listened to and Sean Pratt is like, the perfect narrator and captures the tone and sentiment and sprit of the novel.

'A fucking adventure in pathos.'

I can't speak highly enough or lowly about how this work of Jenious (yes with a J) this book is. Though I can understand if you hate and loathe it, if, like, things that make you think and ponder and notion and muse and pontificate aren't your thing. Like if narration in films past the 2 minute mark is, like if you deem Lee Childs (who's great don't get me wrong) to be high concept, like if you consider Michael Bay a top ten director and Nolan too 'out there'.

Golly Ned, this proably isn't for you.

If you can appreciate the beauty of flowing and malifilous and detailed and witty and apt and obscure descriptions. Of ludicrous and realistic and oxymoronic and quixotic and esoteric concinnity's. Of sharp wit and blunt occurrences, of tales that take you on the longest journey back to the start, a true illustration of the journey being the destination. A book that chages with every read, with characters that become more likeable, more despicable, more charming, more sardonic, more loquacious, less endearing, lovably grotesque, reasonable unrealistic.

This book is for you, you intellectual titan.

All questions rasied are answered though no solutions to be found. Foster Wallace was/is/forever will be something realllllllly special.


There.....

G.B.O.A.T (i.m.o)

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Impressive in scope, crazy characters, mind blowing creativity and humour, worth it. Best book I’ve ever listened to.

Hilarious and creative

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What a journey! Such a talented author. A mammoth book that I wouldn't have been able to read....but it was a joy to listen to and have the book brought to life.

Amazing Amazing Amazing

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If you struggle with the first few hours just stop, it doesn’t get better. My god, I the books I could have read in the time I spent with this… truely bloated. Some, very few and far between actual moments. Good god…

A slow journey to nowhere

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I'm going to give this enormous book the benifits of the doubt and assume I'm not smart enough to appreciate the nuance and detail of this book. there seems to be a lot of things happening, the entertainment, the life at a tennis camp, life at a half way house, the dog killing etc, but I really can't find anything particularly compelling. there's a lot going on, bit nothing seems particularly connected. not in a captivating way anyway. it just sort of, happens. so, so as not to insult the author, I must not be smart enough to take in and hold enough info to not only understand the point, but even just to understand it at, natively speaking. 🤷 that wouldn't have been such an issue if it didn't take me as long as it did to get through 😂

was I too stupid for this book?

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Save for a couple of amazing soliloquies of sorts; this extensive diatribe alas I don’t see the excitement in it. Next!

What is the fuss?

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