Pale King

The Pale King by David Foster Wallace


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wallace, David Foster. The Pale King. 16CDs. 19 Hours. Hachette Audio. 2011. ISBN: 978-1-6094-1975-2 $34.99. F




In his posthumously published, unfinished, self-proclaimed "biographical novel", the young David Foster Wallace is an IRS agent in training. His fellow workers are varied in everything except their communal, debilitating boredom. In a seinfeldesque way of unfolding, nothing happens; not even a hint of a plot. Yet, the story is still sapid and droll as his characters struggle through their bureaucratic existence to get to the verity of life. Read by Robert Petkoff whose irony, at times, bleeds through your speakers. Abounding are odd asides, weird facts, strange characters, and moments of coherence and eloquence, all interspersed with looping logical leaps. Pale King is overwhelming, messy and seriously funny. Introduction by Michael Pietsch gives context to DFW's intent and frame of mind as do the PDF of Author Notes and Asides on the final disc. Recommended to fans of Wallace's previous works, particularly Infinite Jest.




-Terry Ann Lawler - Phoenix Public Library, AZ.




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sounds like you need a tax guy.

beautiful young woman huffs in, slams her stuff on the reference desk. "i need you to help me file an extension"
me: sounds like you need a tax guy.

her: you mean you can't file an exension for me?
me: ummmmmm....no.  this is a library.  i can get you the number to the IRS building down town.
her: but i need it filed!!!!
me: ummmm....sounds. like. you. need. a.......tax guy!
*******************
older guy huffs in, slams his stuff down at the reference desk.
"i need federal tax form 140A!"
me: i'm sorry sir, we haven't carried those for 12 years *hand him form that says where to get them*  you can also print them out online.
man: I KNOW!!!! THAT'S CRAP!!! WHY CAN'T YOU ALL CARRY THEM LIKE YOU USED TO.

me: if you know we haven't carried them for 12 years, why are you here? *this was in my head*
out loud: sounds like you need a tax guy.
************************
younger woman, huffs in, slams her stuff down on the desk.  "i need you to tell me which form to file for my taxes."

me:  sounds like you need a tax guy.  i'm a librarian.  i can get you online for a form or i can give you the phone number to the IRS.

her: well, why can't you just tell me which form you filed.
me: *really???*  i used turbo tax. i filed my taxes in february, spent the $$ in march. i don't even know what form it is.
her: well, then how do i know which form to file?
me: sounds like you need a tax guy.
*******************
boy am i glad that's over.

too cool for school

so, this morning, i walk over to the children's area and i see little coco. sweetest kid ever. she's really darling, always polite, always follows the rules. just a pleasure. coco says good morning and gives me a hug. so i ask her: hey coco, why aren't you in school?


her reply: i didn't go to school today or yesterday. *big grins*

me: does your school have teacher conferences?

coco: no, i'm too sick to go to school.

?

WTH?

the reasons for a kid staying home sick are
A) to get better and
B) to keep your germs off of everybody else.

why, oh why, does this apply to school but not the library? why does this child's mother think it is ok for her child to get ME sick, but not her teacher????????

i was just complaining to a coworker who had a story about two girls who got dropped off in the morning a while back and when asked why they weren't in school replied: because we have lice.

*sigh* we should get hazzard pay.