If you sat down and free-associated the history of American popular culture, while simultaneously trying to explain the defeat of the 1968 generation and the fatal attraction of the Washington elite, smoking dope and watching a DVD box set of the early Star Trek, you would be in the place where Pynchon begins this book. I am haunted by his satire of idealism and betrayal, kung fu, postmodernism and grief.
I don't know if I could summarize it any better. It's also worth reading Mason's other seven 'desert island books.' The website is called Red Pepper, and just from this one page, it looks like it's worth checking out.
