"The Pale King" is a posthumously published novel by American author David Foster Wallace. The novel, which was unfinished at the time of Wallace's death in 2008, explores themes of boredom, meaninglessness, and the American tax system through the eyes of a diverse group of characters who work at a regional office of the Internal Revenue Service in Illinois in the 1980s. The novel features a non-linear narrative structure and incorporates a range of literary techniques, including footnotes, digressions, and multiple narrators. While the novel is centered around the mundanity of working in a tax office, it also delves into larger existential questions about the nature of work and the search for purpose in life. "The Pale King" was widely praised by critics for its ambition and complexity, and it has been recognized as a significant work of contemporary American literature.
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