Kirkus review of Lineland

[Kurt Feinberg]

As far as the comments on the Midwest Book Review using the promotional
copy, I guess they just like the way I write -- since I wrote most of that
material. When I was in PR I used to see my press releases quoted almost
verbatim in The New York Times. Anyone who thinks that's easy to arrange
ought to try it some time.

Meanwhile, thought you all might like to read the Kirkus Review.

When freelance journalist Siegel searched the Internet for references to
himself, he found that he had become a ``sub-set of the Thomas Pynchon
industry.'' Irked, he decided to engage the members of a Pyhchon mailing
list in conversation about his personal relationship with the
writer-recluse.

Siegel had written an article for Playboy 20 years ago about an affair that
his then-wife, Christine Wexler, had had with Pynchon, whom Siegel met when
both were students at Cornell. The article was unique, offering a detailed
look at an all-too-human writer notorious for his obsession with privacy.

Siegel's plunge into Pynchon-L (the mailing list) quickly served to divide
regular visitors into two camps: those hungry for gossip about the
reclusive Pynchon, and those who regard the writer of Gravity's Rainbow and
other novels as a kind of literary demi-god, and Siegel as a resentful
despoiler of their deity.

Things heat up considerably when Wexler arrives on the list and fields
questions herself, ultimately pouring salt on some old wounds. Lineland
ingeniously combines an original format (Siegel excerpts actual E-mail
throughout the text) with just enough juicy tidbits about Pynchon--such as
his early poverty despite his family's Mayflower-era roots--to satisfy the
curious.

The book also reveals several different sides of the Internet: a forum for
academics interested in serious literary discussion; a breeding ground for
Pynchonesque conspiracy theories; and a free-for-all for jerks who probably
would not have the guts to say what they write (``Do you have any claim to
fame . . . other than having had Pynchon bonk your wife?'').

Ultimately the peacemaker, Siegel buries the hatchet with some of his
attackers, and there is even a short epilogue by one of his earliest
assailants. With its combination of cyber-culture and Pynchon gossip,
Lineland should appeal to a variety of readers. (photos and illustrations,
not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.