Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice
First edition cover design
AuthorThomas Pynchon
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreDetective novel
Published2009 (Penguin Press)
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages369 pp
ISBN978-1-59420-224-7
OCLC276819214
813/.54 22
LC ClassPS3566.Y55 I54 2009

Inherent Vice is a novel by American author Thomas Pynchon, originally published in August 2009. A darkly comic detective novel set in 1970s California, the plot follows sleuth Larry "Doc" Sportello whose ex-girlfriend asks him to investigate a scheme involving a prominent land developer. Themes of drug culture and counterculture are prominently featured. It is considered a postmodern novel that warps the stylistic conventions of detective fiction.[1][2] Critical reception was largely positive, with reviewers describing Inherent Vice as one of Pynchon's more accessible works. The novel was adapted into a 2014 film of the same name.

  1. ^ Anderson, Sam (July 31, 2009). "Incoherent Vice". New York. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Boyagoda, Randy (August 7, 2009). "Inherent Vice, by Thomas Pynchon". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2023.