More recently, most people might more readily associate author Thomas Pynchon for his work on 1990’s Vineland: the rip-roaring satirical novel that inspired the Leonardo DiCaprio-led One Battle After Another.
However, it’s worth remembering that the 88-year-old Pynchon has enjoyed a long and storied career within mainstream literature.
With a bibliography spanning to the late 1950s, the National Book Award-winning author has published a variety of best-selling novels, including The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Mason & Dixon and Inherent Vice.
In a surprising new development that has left dedicated fans leaping for joy, Pynchon is also set to release his first novel in over a decade with his upcoming comedic noir romp, Shadow Ticket.
According to publisher Penguin Random House, the new novel is set in early 1930s Wisconsin, following down-on-his-luck private investigator Hicks McTaggart as he attempts to find wealthy cheese heiress, Daphne Airmont.
Tailing the socialite from gangland-era Chicago to pre-World War II Europe, McTaggart soon encounters a myriad of strange characters in his humorously hard-boiled journey, including spies, gangsters, jewel thieves and shady representatives of the Airmont Cheese Mafia.
While it might have taken a few years to see the light of day, critics have largely praised Shadow Ticket for its wit, buoyant story and characters, as well as Pynchon’s poignant thematic subject matter.
“Dark as a vampire’s pocket, light-fingered as a jewel thief, Shadow Ticket capers across the page with breezy, baggy-pants assurance — and then pauses on its way down the fire escape just long enough to crack your heart open,” wrote Los Angeles Times’ David Kipen.
“The novel’s heart-freezing finish is as plaintively moving as anything he’s ever done. Irresistible and deeply satisfying, this makes clear Pynchon’s powers remain undiminished,” agreed Publishers’ Weekly.
The long-awaited ninth novel in Pynchon’s austere career, the new book also marks the writer’s first venture since 2013’s Bleeding Edge, a similarly topsy-turvy story of early 2000s New York City amidst the burgeoning Internet Age.
Shadow Tickets goes on sale on October 7 both online and via major book retailers.
