Absalom, Absalom!

When I started reading this, I thought ‘dear lord, what have I gotten myself into'. The writing is dense and opaque; disheartened, I turned away.

Then I returned, and my ear caught the rhythm of it. I found myself pulled inexorably into the complex dynamics of this family of the American South. Dashed about from one narrative to another, I could not find my footing. But I finished the book exhilarated, exhausted, and with a strange hunger to start reading again from the beginning.

Had to read this book for my American Lit class. I've liked everything else I read in that class well enough, but this one was just terrible. I could barely get through it. I get how it could be entertaining at times but I was just not interested. The plot felt too thin and there was not enough resolution at all. It felt too wide open and loose. Glad I'm finally done with this.

Wow! What a story. I was warned by numerous reviews that it wouldn't be easy–it wasn't. My approach to it was to read the Wikipedia summary and get the basic plot along with all the characters straight in my head before diving in. It worked out pretty well. Faulkner gives away most of the plot within the first 20 pages which has the great upside of rendering spoilers impotent. Knowing the basic plot I felt like I could sit back and enjoy the tale without being paranoid that I was missing something crucial to understanding the rest of the book. And wow, it is a tale to savor.

Absalom Absalom! shows the inconsistencies, layers and complexities of the Civil War South as they should be portrayed–from multiple and personal perspectives. It is in no way the trite and axiomatic history of textbooks. There is pride, secrets and hidden motives. Love and war, murder, justice and redemption. The complexity of the story fits the time and subject perfectly.

The writing is as intricate and beautiful as the story. It often feels like Faulkner is purposefully obfuscating his sentences while as the same time superficially clarifying them by expanding pronouns. At times the language is so convoluted that it seems that Faulkner is parodying himself, parodying the English language. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, either way the book lands almost perfectly in my sweet spot. I love the South, paradoxes and all, I like thick, rich language–some of my favorites are Rushdie, Lowry, and McCarthy. I like long books and books that can be, or even need to be, re-read to be understood. I savor the moment when I'm reading a book and I realize that it's one of those books that if I was stranded on the proverbial desert island with just it, that I could find enjoyment in it for a long, long time. Absalom, Absalom! is all of that.