Consider the Lobster and Other Essays; a review

A cure for the modern echo chamber, David Foster Wallace's^[1] journalistic voice is captivating and razor sharp at the same time. "Consider the Lobster and Other Essays" as an anthology not only delves into the psyche of professional sportspeople, debates the ethics of eating lobster, reflects upon the Republican primaries between Bush and McCain, but it also constructs an almost deified image of the author, more Loki than Yahweh. This collection of essays reveals DFW’s exceptional ability to dissect complex issues with a blend of wit, empathy, and intellectual rigour.

Charmingly charismatic in text, a perusal of his Wikipedia page reflects upon a rather troubled man. Between mental health issues as well as spousal and substance abuse, this book makes possibly the best case for separating art from the artist.^[2]

If you were the devil, you would love to have DFW on your side advocating for you. Able to twist and wring out entertainment while also being exceptionally persuasive, his authenticity comes from his ability to interlace his personal anecdotes with broader social commentary. In the essay "How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart", the criticism of the broader genre of clearly ghost-written autobiographies about famous sportspeople is littered with references to both his own failed tennis career and his teenage appreciation of the once-young phenom in women's tennis. A strangely personal review of a bland autobiography, he enriches the life and influence of Ms. Austin, exceeding what her own memoirs could ever hope to convey.

I won't spoil any of the other essays, but it's a special author that makes you write a review of a book review. The real crux of the essay collection is to view the world not as a comfortable series of binaries, but as a beautiful mess of grey.