“Weekly” Book Review #1: A Fraction Of The Whole by Steve Toltz

For my first book of the Summer, I decided to read  A Fraction of the Whole, the amazing debut novel by Australian author Steve Toltz. I’ll admit straightaway that I picked up the book almost entirely due to the review on its cover from the Wall Street Journal - which states that Toltz’s book “deserves a place next to A Confederacy of Dunces” (quite possibly my favorite book of all-time) - and while at first the comparison seemed to be a bit of a stretch for me, by the time I finished Fraction I couldn’t have agreed more. 

Much like Confederacy (which, coincidentally was John Kennedy Toole’s debut masterpiece as well), A Fraction of the Whole is a brilliant and engaging examination of the close-knit relationship that exists between genius and madness, and the fine (if not altogether blurred!) line that so often exists between the two states of mind. Also much like Confederacy,  A Fraction of the Whole accomplishes this feat through the amazingly insightful perspective of some of the more fantastic and brilliant characters I’ve ever read - in this case, the Dean family. 

Over the course of the novel, which spans a meaty 550+ pages, Toltz treats us to a look at three generations of Deans - largely centered around the youngest, Jasper, and his father, Martin - in an epic adventure that travels “from the Australian bush to bohemian Paris, from the jungles of Thailand to asylums, labyrinths and criminal lairs” and never once fails to excite and intrigue. With laugh-out-loud highs and soul-searching lows, A Fraction of the Whole reads as quickly and accessibly as a book with half its content, yet sacrifices nothing to deliver this deep, and incredibly well-painted, story. 

One of the things I appreciate so much about great fiction is that, in order for an author to write about an intellectual/philosophical/witty/deep/etc  character, he or she must actually be every bit that intellectual/philosophical/etc themselves!! It’s an art that there’s no way to fake, and in this, his first attempt, Steve Toltz has held nothing back. Through his amazing foray of characters, each with its own special blend of outrageous personality disorders and enormous insights, Toltz examines nearly every facet of our society, leaving practically no stone unturned - covering everything from religion, to optimism, to love, loyalty, isolation, politics, criminality, sex, parenting - you name it! The list goes on and on.

The end result is a fantastically entertaining and insightful look into the depths of human character, and a pleasant challenge to many of the conventions that we as a society hold dear - not the least of which being the notion of a “warm-up novel”. With A Fraction of the Whole, Steve Toltz has started his career on an incredibly high note, and I, personally, cannot wait to see how high he takes it from here.