Underworld
Don DeLillo · b. 1936 · USA
Why it matters
From the 1951 pennant-race homer to desert nuclear tests, tracked backward through the Cold War's garbage and longing. DeLillo's cathedral, regularly voted the great American novel of its half-century.
At a glance
postmodernhistorical fictionepic
Difficulty 8/10slow pace827 pagesReverse chronology and a vast interlocking cast demand serious sustained attention.
Deep dive
On the Bruegel painting hidden in the prologue's title, and the stand-up comedian DeLillo recruits as the Cold War's unlikeliest chorus.
