In this short novel, Pynchon continues his concern with conspiracy and technological control of the society and adds a satiric dimension by setting the story in modern California. The main character yo-yos from the Bay Area to San Narciso, a stand-in for Los Angeles, where the street layout suggests to the main character the printed circuits of a transistor radio and the name suggests a city of the self-absorbed or unconscious. The California backdrop gives Pynchon the opportunity to comment on various substitutes for a spiritual center in modern life, from drugs to popular music.