Need help keeping track of Inherent Vice’s 130 characters and their countless relationships?

Sure, you could go Sportello-style and read the novel on acid and hope it all makes sense. Or you could use this handy site to get the most out of reading Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice.

Get clarity now!

Chapter diagrams: See at a glance who’s related to who, even those relationships that Pynchon merely hints at. One diagram for each chapter. Colour-coded. Spoiler-free.

Chapter summaries: Concise summaries help you keep track of the action. Summaries accompany each chapter diagram.

The five plots: Super-concise summaries of each of Inherent Vice’s five main plots. Essential for keeping track of the big picture.

Character-relationship index: See how each character is related to others throughout the novel. Very handy. Note: the index contains spoilers.

“This is beautiful work. I am encouraged to pick up Inherent Vice for teaching again soon, knowing there is a site like this I can refer my students to!”
— Dr. Inger H. Dalsgaard
Associate Professor, Aarhus University
Editor of Thomas Pynchon in Context (2019)

“A very cool project and a wonderful gift to longtime Pynchon fans as well as those just discovering his work.”
— Bill Dawson
Journalist

“Inherent Vice Diagrammed is a work of obsessional Pynchonophilia that is extremenly useful and beautifully organised.”
— John Butcher

“This is an amazing resource!”
— Bryan Santin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Of English, Concordia University Irvine

“An outstanding idea brilliantly executed!”
— Richard McNally

“This project absolutely rocks and I immediately sent it to all my bookish friends.”
— George Gritsouk