'Zero K' by Don DeLillo is a thought-provoking novel that delves into themes of life, death, and immortality. The story follows Jeffrey Lockhart, who is summoned by his billionaire father to a compound in Russia where people can choose to be cryogenically preserved. The narrative explores the existential questions surrounding what it means to be alive, the boundaries of life extension through technology, and the blurred lines between faith and science. DeLillo's writing style is characterized by intricate language, philosophical musings, and a mix of speculative fiction and contemporary realism, creating a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

Characters:

The characters are depicted as complex individuals navigating their existential dilemmas, often disconnected from the world around them.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is rich and layered, combining philosophical depth with a stark, contemplative tone.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot focuses on themes of wealth, mortality, and familial relationships through the lens of cryogenic preservation.

Setting:

The setting juxtaposes a harsh external world with the sterile, controlled environment of The Convergence.

Pacing:

Pacing is initially slow but becomes more engaging as it delves deeper into themes.

This is what my father said, standing by the contoured windows in his New York office—private wealth management, dynasty trusts, emerging markets. We were sharing a rare point in time, contemplative, ...

Notes:

The novel Zero K was published by Don DeLillo as he was entering his ninth decade of life.

The story explores the relationship between a billionaire, his dying second wife, and his estranged son.

Cryonics is a central theme, where the dying can be preserved in freezing suspension awaiting future medical advancements.

The facility where the cryonic suspension takes place is called The Convergence, located in a remote part of Asia.

Characters grapple with profound themes of life, death, and what it means to be human.

Throughout the book, there are nods to various cultural and philosophical references, including films and literature.

The facility's design features disorienting hallways that end in nowhere, reflecting a sense of futility and existential dread.

DeLillo's writing reflects a deep concern with modern global issues such as environmental disasters, famine, and war.

The protagonist, Jeffrey, struggles with his identity and connections to others after spending time at The Convergence.

Themes of wealth and privilege are explored, especially regarding the ability to choose one's own death through advanced technology.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of death, illness, existential crises, and isolation.

From The Publisher:

A New York Times Notable Book

A New York Times bestseller, "DeLillo's haunting new novel, Zero K-his most persuasive since his astonishing 1997 masterpiece, Underworld" (The New York Times), is a meditation on death and an embrace of life.

Jeffrey Lockhart's father, Ross, is a billionaire in his sixties, with a younger wife, Artis Martineau, whose health is failing. Ross is the primary investor in a remote and secret compound where death is exquisitely controlled and bodies are preserved until a future time when biomedical advances and new technologies can return them to a life of transcendent promise. Jeff joins Ross and Artis at the compound to say "an uncertain farewell" to her as she surrenders her body.

"We are born without choosing to be. Should we have to die in the same manner? Isn't it a human glory to refuse to accept a certain fate?" These are the questions that haunt the novel and its memorable characters, and it is Ross Lockhart, most particularly, who feels a deep need to enter another dimension and awake to a new world. For his son, this is indefensible. Jeff, the book's narrator, is committed to living, to experiencing "the mingled astonishments of our time, here, on earth."

Don DeLillo's "daring…provocative…exquisite" (The Washington Post) new novel weighs the darkness of the world-terrorism, floods, fires, famine, plague-against the beauty and humanity of everyday life; love, awe, "the intimate touch of earth and sun."

"One of the most mysterious, emotionally moving, and rewarding books of DeLillo's long career" (The New York Times Book Review), Zero K is a glorious, soulful novel from one of the great writers of our time.

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About the Author:

Don DeLillo is the author of seventeen novels including White Noise, Libra, Underworld, Falling Man, and Zero K. He has won the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award, the Jerusalem Prize for his complete body of work, and the William Dean Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His story collection The Angel Esmeralda was a finalist for the Story Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. In 2013, DeLillo was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, and in 2015, the National Book Foundation awarded DeLillo its Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

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Zero K

Don DeLillo