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Overview
The Crying of Lot 49 is a novella published in 1966 by American author Thomas Pynchon
. The novel follows Oedipa Maas, a woman who is named executor of her ex-boyfriend’s estate and becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy involving the postal system, a secret society, and a centuries-old feud between two mail distribution companies. The Crying of Lot 49 is a postmodern work that explores themes of paranoia, the nature of reality, and the impossibility of achieving certainty in a chaotic and complex world.Read the full book summary, a complete list of character descriptions, and mini essays on key topics from The Crying of Lot 49.
