A Fraction of the Whole

I finished Steve Toltz' "A Fraction of the Whole" this morning, a novel about the Dean family-ubercriminal Terry, Terry's brother, pseudo philosopher Martin, and Martin's son Jasper, locked up for trying to illegally immigrate into his native Australia.

If that sentence makes the slightest bit of sense to you, then you may enjoy this story.

It is an affecting tale, ranging between narrators and across continents, while the central need to tell one's story-to order the events of your life so that you, if no one else, can understand them.

It is a little hard to follow, but Toltz has an absolutely unmistakable voice and a sardonic, Vonnegutian sense of humor. Funny, sad, and compelling-the comparisons made to Hunter S Thompson and "A Confederacy of Dunces" are apt.

I feel that usual sort of relief upon finishing a novel. In a sense, I'm glad its over, and in another way, I'm sad that it is.