{"product_id":"the-pale-king-an-unfinished-novel-hardcover","title":"The Pale King: An Unfinished Novel - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \"breathtakingly brilliant\" novel by the author of \u003ci\u003eInfinite Jest\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) is a deeply compelling and satisfying story, as hilarious and fearless and original as anything Wallace ever wrote. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Pale King\u003c\/i\u003e remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever undertook. It grapples directly with ultimate questions -- questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society -- through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Pale King\u003c\/i\u003e is by turns funny, shrewd, suspenseful, piercing, smart, terrifying, and rousing.\" --Laura Miller, \u003ci\u003eSalon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101641642207,"sku":"9780316074230","price":47.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/cjZVQVZySmxLamp1MEdacjArbXYyUT09.webp?v=1781071879","url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/products\/the-pale-king-an-unfinished-novel-hardcover","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}