The Elementary Particles

an incredibly ballsy novel that routinely catapaults between philosophy and pornography, without batting an eyelid. one protagonist's maniacal masturbation gets old after a while; but the philosophical meditations (on the moral poverty of a society that seeks pleasure without knowledge), as well as the brilliant dialogue ("When I see moonlight reflected on water, I realize that we have nothing to do with this world"), are worth suffering through the 30-something jackoff scenes.