What we have here is a paradox: a novel, a story told in words, which features as an underlying theme the futility of words in expressing one's thoughts. There's not too much of a plot, but there are a lot of esoteric ideas thrown about. This kind of thing is not for everyone.

The book is short but dense. It had me reaching for my dictionary frequently. In spite of this, though, it is actually a pretty easy read, thanks to DeLillo's smooth writing.