Great review, Rowan. You've certainly got me intrigued to read the book with that.

Leonard—your first comment here—that "one of the worst things about addiction is that it reduces your empathy for other people to the point that you can't perceive through any filter other than their utility in getting you your next fix. … it eliminate[s] the essential quality of man." That's fabulous.

That really was a great scene—particularly the reveal.

That "poor man's Pynchon" comment has made me want to read some Pynchon, I have to say. (He's still a literary blind spot for me, I must admit.)

wtf is starz mark 2 lol

Great comment, FJ.

Thanks, FJ—I'm telling you, this book club is really wonderful. You all are a great crowd, and your comments are honestly giving me a more positive impression of the book, even if it's still no RIDDLEY WALKER.

Here's R. Crumb's really very cool and bizarre retelling of PKD's schizophrenic /mystical experiences with multiple personalities and shifts in time. All the words are from a 1981 PKD interview.

Sounds mystical. Didn't Dick believe he was John the Baptist reincarnated?

Thanks, you two. Folks like you make this book club the amazing great time that it is.

I was reminded of this quote
from Dostoevsky in NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND:

Honestly, after reading so many insightful comments here, I'm less interested now in defending my less-than-rapturous reading experience, and more interested in sitting back quietly and just listening to everyone. I may have missed some things by some of the assumptions I made based on the back cover.

This excellent post makes me feel like an ignorant jerk for not enjoying the novel more.

A wonderful comment.

Seriously—that sounds like an even more interesting book. Wild.

What excellent comments! I'm going to wait to post my own until tomorrow, so I can think about these, but these really are insightful.

Good observation, Tasha—one that makes what's happening far more of a universal event. Who among us hasn't, at some point, questioned which aspect of ourselves is the most genuine and which is just a gimmick or a persona? Am I the suburban dad who seems to be perpetually washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and…

That's a great idea, Wendell. Like the last amazing episode of John Saffron Vs. God.

Ricky Gervais's original character replacing Michael Scott would be amazing, and would take the show in a mind-blowing full circle.

@Leonard—Well, what does it mean that Bob Arctor sneaks out the blue flower in the shoe to give to his friends—what will be the results of that? Of course the course of events may continue to be messy from there, but giving the drug a single mysterious source does allow for a far cleaner, easier resolution than…