Man, I'd kinda forgotten about this until I got a notice from the library saying I hadn't yet returned it. I can't find the book anywhere in my house. Perhaps it will magically appear after this.
One of the things I found interesting about the book was the use of Eastern philosophy. I wondered, after reading it, if people not so well-versed in Eastern philosophy would find it difficult or onerous to get through, as I don't think PKD does a good job of explaining the background of the philosophical concepts he is using in the novel. Apparently, PKD used the I-Ching to write the book; perhaps that's responsible for some of the aimlessness you noticed, Redlemon.
If I were to write a college paper on the book, I'd probably write about PKD's use of illusion and the idea of
maya as it presents itself in the novel. I found that concept to be interesting enough to keep deliberating on it for some days after I'd finished reading, but the way he used it at the end of the novel kind of left me unsatisfied; it almost seemed trite.
As for the writing style--I actually kind of liked the fragmentary way people spoke. To be certain, it was jarring. To me, it was as if someone had translated English into Japanese and then back again, and thus a reflection of the influence that the Japanese had had on the spoken language present in that mishmash of culture of the PSA.
Now hopefully this book magically reappears from the ether; I don't want to be up to my eyeballs in fines!
