As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Okay! It's time for a classic! A friend from high school is on a quest to read 100 books this year. He's already up to 25 and this was one of his latest. I'm not too familiar with William Faulkner so I thought I'd give this one a try.
As I Lay Dying is the story of a family who are on a journey to take their dead wife and mother to another county to be buried and fulfill her dying wish. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different family member, friend or acquaintance they encounter along the way. Believe me, anything than can go wrong does.
Much of the story was difficult to read because the characters speak in a very complex, southern vernacular. But that didn't mean I couldn't follow the details of building the coffin or getting the wagon across the river when the bridge washed out. And I do have to say nothing prepared me for the shock at the end.
Supposedly Faulkner wrote this story start to finish without making a single edit. If true that would be an amazing feat. He is a Noble Prize winner after all. If you're like me and need a classic literature fix every now and then, As I Lay Dying is not to long and a good place to satisfy your craving.
Okay! It's time for a classic! A friend from high school is on a quest to read 100 books this year. He's already up to 25 and this was one of his latest. I'm not too familiar with William Faulkner so I thought I'd give this one a try.
As I Lay Dying is the story of a family who are on a journey to take their dead wife and mother to another county to be buried and fulfill her dying wish. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different family member, friend or acquaintance they encounter along the way. Believe me, anything than can go wrong does.
Much of the story was difficult to read because the characters speak in a very complex, southern vernacular. But that didn't mean I couldn't follow the details of building the coffin or getting the wagon across the river when the bridge washed out. And I do have to say nothing prepared me for the shock at the end.
Supposedly Faulkner wrote this story start to finish without making a single edit. If true that would be an amazing feat. He is a Noble Prize winner after all. If you're like me and need a classic literature fix every now and then, As I Lay Dying is not to long and a good place to satisfy your craving.
No comments:
Post a Comment