Fortunately, he's John Updike and there's another good author among the rubbish.
'It's not necessary to say this, it's not necessary to say that...' When did anybody tell you words are written as necessary in a literary text? Maybe that's why Literature is not necessary, but aesthetic. You don't need it to live, as you don't need to write a criticism either. If you want to read necessary words, just read a newspaper.
John Updike's The Centaur is one of the best books I've read lately. And not because of its classic references. How could you say a book or any other artistic piece is 'good'?
From my point of view, one of the criteria is that the author leaves it's personal and unrepeteable print. Another one would be that it's able to teach you something. And I'm not referring exactly to the meaning of 'psoriasis', new data to add to my mind... However, maybe it would be beautiful to find new metaphores and ways of understanding life. As a motor being hungry. That's a metaphore, a new point of view for an old meaning.
John Updike reaches only these two aspects too well. Unnecessarily.
If you want economy, don't read Literature. You could read Ken Follett instead.