I have finished reading Pynchon's Against the Day. The final 200 pages are particularly strong, and I found myself loving the book much more than Mason & Dixon. In the end, the book becomes a meditation on family and relationships, and the many ways that people come together, form ad-hoc family units, reunite, say goodbye, and/or move on. It's really very beautiful.
The only person I really felt sorry for was Lake, who finds herself briefly caught up in a Raymond Chandler meets the Black Dahlia story without ever even realizing it. Kit ends up (finally!) with Dally, and seems to find Shambhala, only to discover that Dally may have gotten there first! Frank and Stray end up together and Frank raises Reef's son, Jesse. Meanwhile Reef, Yashmeen, and Cyprian form an interesting menage which inexplicably produces a daughter. Finally, Reef and Yashmeen make their way from post-war Europe to the states and meet up with Frank and Co. Reef finally meets his son and all in all the extended family of the Traverses seem well prepared to face the challenges of the modern world, however explosive those might be.
And thats how it goes: the good guys find happy endings, and the bad guys get their just desserts. The more fanciful figures realize that they are not suited to the modern world, or aren't part of this world, or transcend and become something else. The history of the Traverse family is a first rate family epic, and the Chums of Chance become one of the more charming literary inventions in Pynchon-land.
As I read, I felt completely immersed in this world, and patience allowed the story to unfold at its own pace, making each stop along the way that much more interesting. I am ready to begin again, and I'm sure I'll remember everyone's names this time around.
