“A Fraction of the Whole”
August 16, 2010 by jhynes
It is over. I’m finished. Thank goodness. I don’t think I have ever rushed a book back to the library as fast as I did with “A Fraction of the Whole” by Steve Toltz.
Oddly, though, I was absorbed in the book. The problem was that it took me half the book to get absorbed, but then I HAD to see how the ride ended. And it ends about as strangely as it begins.
We follow a family in Australia throughout their lives, going back and forth in time to set you up for a wild ride. To say they’re “misfits” grossly underestimates just how strange these characters are. It took time for the story to unfold, even though it began with a brother who becomes a mass murderer. Flashback to see why he ends up that way and how it affects his family and friends around him.
Just when I wanted to put down the book and surrender, I surrendered to the story and ended up being entertained, baffled, and extremely surprised at one twist I never saw coming. That tells me this author worked very hard to weave his story so it was tangled, but tight.
The characters discuss the human character, almost from an outsider’s point of view – meaning outside of humanity. Since these characters are outsiders on many levels, they look at what people do and why they do it. They conclude many times human beings (forgive me, Spock) aren’t logical or practical. They give the reader a twisted, yet believable, perspective on what’s wrong with the human race and what’s wrong when people go against the “norm”, whatever that is.
I don’t know that I would recommend the book. It’s long. I felt a grand sense of relief finishing it. I’m not sure that’s what you might be looking for in a book, but if you’re ready to hop on the crazy train, this book has a ticket waiting for you.
P.S. I enjoyed the cultural references to Australia, particularly calling out “Vegemite” by name. If I ever make it to this continent, I may have to pass on this food staple, unless I can just have the vegemite and skip the rest of the sandwich.
