#the sound and the fury

by William Faulkner 

What’s it about?

Like all Great American Novels, it’s about the death of the American Dream.

That doesn’t tell me much.

In particular, it’s about the collapse of the Southern Way of Life, a largely fictional reconstruction of what life was like for white people in the southern states of America (under slavery, which is never mentioned/realised by the kind of people who wave Confederate flags unironically). 

So it’s a political book? 

No. That was just me venting. Sorry. It’s actually the collapse of the South using the microcosm of a single family. We get to watch the very strange relationships they’ve built up among themselves slowly fall apart. There’s a bit of implied brother / sister stuff, but if you’ve read Game of Thrones and you still think the sibling incest overtones are too much, you should present yourself to the relevant authorities at first light.

I’ve started it, but it’s all gibberish.

Right. The first seventy pages or so are written in a style called “stream of consciousness”, the primary example of which is Ulysses by James Joyce. The narrative style tones down to something more comprehensible after that, so stick with it. By the fourth section, you’ll start to realise you remembered more than you thought.

What should I say to make people think I’ve read it?

“A genuinely brilliant attempt to model how human thought processes work and how our memories sometimes control who we are.”

What should I avoid saying when trying to convince people I’ve read it?

“These are the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic.”

Should I actually read it?

Yes. You’ll never come across a book quite like this. It primes you for the final emotional punch early on and you don’t even know it’s happening. Just keep reading.