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Comment by polytely | Hacker News Reader

I have only read Point Omega and The Angel Esmeralda but I've really enjoyed them. Which of his books should I read next? Are there any other authors adjacent to DeLillo that are worth checking out?

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When it comes to post-Underworld DeLillo, as far as I am concerned his major novel of that period, and really the only work that sticks in the memory after a few weeks (and I have read them all) is Falling Man.

If you are asking about books from any period of his output, then White Noise can be recommended, I personally see it as his greatest achievement. Underworld gets a lot of hype due to its sheer length but I don’t find it particularly impressive or moving.

I very much enjoyed, and would recommend, White Noise and Mao II.

As for adjacent authors, I think I'd probably list: David Foster Wallace, Pynchon, Franzen and Roth.

Falling Man seemed to me to capture what happened to the American psyche post 9/11 better than anything else that I've read. As far as I can tell we're collectively still falling.

The prologue to Underworld is amazing and can stand alone as a story in its own right. If you like that, then you're likely to like the rest of the immense book. White Noise is the obvious other recommendation. I also really enjoyed the Body Artist (and it's very slim).

Pynchon, if you haven’t read him. Start with The Crying of Lot 49.

underworld (his masterpiece), white noise, libra

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