White Noise by Don DeLillo is a dark, wonderfully told novel that takes place in a campus town. The story is told in first person through the eyes of Jack Gladney, a college professor. His claim to fame is starting a movement of teaching classes about Hitler, despite the fact that he knows no German. This middle-’80s tale captures the times unequivocally.
Gladney is tied to Babette, his wife, by love, fear, and children. Mostly they are held together by fear, the fear of death. She has him beat until a train accident unleashed a brilliant black cloud of poisonous gas. “The airborne toxic event” pushes the entire family, the entire community, to the brink of death. They are all in touch with their ultimate fear. But Jack manages to become exposed, and his fears become justified. He is the one that is going to die.
The novel is impressive from beginning to end. Its unending darkness coats the reader with his own fear, one of doom. This fantastic tale is a must read for anyone who enjoys looking deeper into their own life, or their own soul.
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