A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The reader either gets this author or is bored to a DNF (did not finish). I re-read this book every few years. What I love is the character Reilly, the way Toole captures the culture and times of the 1960s like no other author I know. All of the characters, from the tipsy mother to the black barfly to the Jewish businessman & whining wife to the gay party guy stretch beyond the mere stereotypes each might sink into. Toole does this by finessing the bigger picture, by a deft weave of themes, POV/voice, I find enviable. The book is satire with an underlying deep worldview relevant today and for years to come. I can understand how readers may not get beyond the first chapter. But if you do and you are an attentive reader, so much is happening. Love the New Orleans setting.