The Sound and the Fury by William FaulknerRead about the other books on the list.
Because of its stream-of-consciousness narration, this novel is linked to a literary era – much indebted to Freud – in which characters’ inner lives were given intense attention. Conscious thoughts appear to grow out of fantasies, ideas, memories and perceptions. Faulkner’s brilliant story centres on the dynamics between three brothers, the mentally damaged Benjy, the cynical and depressed Quentin and the sardonic Jason. Through their minds we witness the slow but inevitable dissolution – over the course of some 30 years – of the southern aristocratic Compson family.
The Sound and the Fury is among Jeff Somers's five greatest, dumbest characters in literature, James Runcie's top ten books about brothers, and Mario Batali's five great American books.
--Marshal Zeringue