Absalom, Absalom!

by William Faulkner

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In a word: circular

In a sentence: The life and times of Thomas Sutpen told retroactively.

Synopsis: A variety of narrators piece together the family history of the Thomas Sutpens. Each storyteller layers their perspective on the last creating a furious and nostalgic tale.

Reactions: For me, the Faulkner's unique narrative style is what sets Absalom, Absalom! apart as a masterpiece. It also did not make for easy reading, however. Each narrator is as unreliable as the last, and they consistently discredit each other for the sake of their own perspective. On the other hand, this narrative shifting creates an authentic replication of Southern oral tradition and illustrates how stories can shift the more they're told, creating a sort of historical mythology through the generations.

Once my brain adapted to the layered storytelling, this novel was quite funny at times. The dialogues between Quentin and Shreve, who are both incredibly far removed from the primary narrative and therefore deal more in improvisation than history, were particularly so. Although there is a great deal of devastation in the plot caused by folly and the Civil War, it's rendered supercilious at times by the over-dramatization of the storytelling. This satirical undertone kept me engaged through the more challenging portions of this novel.

Read if: you desire a deep dive into Civil War Southern culture.