The Book Review: Pynchon and The Simpsons
Plus: John Updike’s letters.
Books
October 21, 2025
An animated image shows a man with a paper bag over his head sitting on a couch and looking over a book with a young girl, while her father stands behind the couch, confused.
In an image created for The New York Times, Thomas Pynchon, Lisa Simpson and Homer Simpson grapple with the novelist’s “Gravity’s Rainbow.” The Simpsons and 20th Television

Dear readers,

I’m hardly a “Simpsons" devotee but I am totally charmed by the illustration above (made especially for The Times). Imagine having a read-aloud story hour with Thomas Pynchon! Even if the book at hand is his impregnable classic!

Given Pynchon’s current moment in the sun, we asked some noted fans of his to share a favorite moment from his literary universe. His latest novel, “Shadow Ticket,” is on the best-seller list and “One Battle After Another,” a film by Paul Thomas Anderson loosely inspired by Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” has been met with rapturous reviews.

(Add mine to the chorus: I was impressed by the adaptation and highly encourage you to see it in theaters — even if your VistaVision projectionist shows up late to the screening, as mine did, and the lights are on for the last 10 minutes of the film.)

I’d love to hear about your own Pynchon tastes — feel free to share a favorite scene or wacky character name by emailing me at books@nytimes.com.

See you on Friday.

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