The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon (Chapters 2-3)

            The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon is a very interesting novel in which Mr. Pynchon’s style of writing is very evident.  The story revolves around Mrs. Oedipa Maas who has been named the “executrix of the estate of one Pierce Inverarity.”  This is a very bizarre appointment due to the fact Oedipa is in fact the ex girl friend of Mr. Inverarity.  Oedipa and Pierce have been separated long enough for Oedipa to be remarried to a disc jockey named Mucho Maas.  In the second chapter, Oedipa begins her task as “executrix” of Pierce’s will by going to San Narcico (Pierce’s home town) “to look into Pierce’s books and records and confer with Metzger, the co-executor.”  Oedipa, a married woman mind you, proceeds to get drunk with Metzger and by the end of the night has sex with him in her hotel room. In the hotel Oedipa and Metzger meet a band called “The Paranoids” who, in chapter 3, steal a boat and go out onto an island in Lake Inverarity.  In this scene, the character Di Presso is introduced.  Di Presso is a lawyer who is representing Tony Jaguar who sold bones to Inverarity but was never paid, and is now suing Inverarity’s estate.  Oedipa learns of a tale of a company of GI’s who were killed by Germans in WWII and whose bodies were thrown in a lake.  One of The Paranoids’ member’s tells of a play, “The Courier’s Tragedy,” directed by Randolph Diblette that sounds a lot like that of the company of GI’s.  Oedipa is intrigued by this and goes with Metzger to see the play.  The play is described in detail over roughly 11 pages.  The play is very mysterious and Oedipa feels compelled to talk with the director after the play.

            I found the first three chapters of this book very intriguing.  Nothing seemed to fit, and I felt like Thomas Pynchon was giving me the pieces to a very complex puzzle that is to be put together later on.  I find that, even though this is not one of my favorite pieces of literature, I still want to read on and on, if nothing else just to find how all of these small, seemingly unrelated events, comes together in the ending.  The jury is still out in my opinion as to weather or not this is a good book.