Customer Reviews

A Fraction of the Whole

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Writing is about, if anything, ideas. And Steve Toltz has a lot of them. His book, "A Fraction of the Whole," is a sprawling stew of philosophies and ruminations, a grand fictive enterprise teeming with two-sided arguments over everything from the meaning of life to the horror of death. There's no doubting that Toltz's ambitions are lofty, but his prose is loopy and lanky. The end result may be a bit bloated, but it's also dangerously close to being brilliant.

Martin Dean, a moderately deranged father, and Jasper, his emotionally stunted son, form the core of the novel. Although their individual and combined stories concern things like espionage, mental hospitals, murder sprees, comas, first loves, and the burning down of an entire town, most of the story actually takes place in the plotless morass of these guys' heads. Both Martin and Jasper shudder when they are labeled philosophers, but they seem unable to do much more than let life wash over them while they try vainly to sift purpose and justification out of the foamy waves.

Toltz may be brimming with interesting bon mots and thought-provoking insights, his story may be almost obsessively concerned with the cold, shuddering stop that comes at the end of life's twisted coil (four separate characters commit suicide), but his writing is agile and clever enough to shrug off the ponderous gloom that normally comes with such a dark and dismal subject matter. Martin and Jasper never miss an opportunity to analyze the weird and warped ways of life and its inevitabilities, but at least they do it without taking themselves too seriously. They are like clowns smirking under painted frowns. And what is a clown, anyway, except a philosopher with flashier clothing?

With a book this boldly open-ended, there are a slew of unanswered questions left by the final page. And Toltz's unrelenting digressions and thought-games -- no matter how wittily phrased -- are sure to turn some people off. This reviewer ate them up (some pages I read over and over, they're that savory). In fact, I suspect that Toltz is on the verge of mastering the kind of multi-layered literature that is missing in most fiction these days. This book has as much import and potency as any of the novels you'll find on a typical list of "classics," but the writing is so unpresumptuous, so effortless and delectable, that the themes aren't alienated by the words. It's a dense thicket, this book, but it isn't inaccessible. Toltz gives you a machete and shows you where to start swinging.

It's too bad many (dare I say most?) readers today prefer their reading to be less about work and more about distraction. Don't get me wrong; Toltz's imagination is a vibrant and entertaining place, but Martin and Jasper are inexhaustible theorists, pessimists with a cause, idealists who love humanity but hate society, relentless dancers who can't stand music. Out of them pours every wild idea it seems that Steve Toltz has, and although many of them are left wild, most of them come together in the book's twisted knot of a heart. It's a frustrating and ingenious mess, as beautiful and contained as a thunderstorm.

It's easy to imagine, reading this tome, that Toltz simply took every idea he ever had for a book and put them all between the same two covers. I certainly hope that's not the case. Toltz's style is irreverent and modest, learned and loony, smart, captivating, provocative and fun. Here's hoping he has a lot more in him waiting to come out.

This was a really tough book to get through. I only did because I thought the writing was outstanding. Tolz is a literary virtuoso. There are great positives in this book, from the overall originality of the novel; to the very moving and powerful climax; to an extraordinarily original and intricate plot; through Tolz's writing. But there are also aspects that irritate and almost made me give up halfway. These are:

- the characters are impossible to like. This applies to Martin and Jasper Dean, both of whom are just too wierd and eccentric and self-important to care about. The review on the cover page comparing this novel to " A Confederacy of Dunces" does "Confederacy..." a disservice: Ignatius O Reilly is also wierd and eccentric and self important but he was comic and pathetic in a way that the Deans never manage to be. By the way, its not easy to like much any of the secondary characters either...

- some plot twists are hard to handle, eg. Anouk's transformation from hippy into "one of the richest women in Australia";

- while the book had a hugely entertaining first 100 or so pages and equally excellent final 100 pages, the middle was boring at times, irratating at others (where it seems Tolz wants to show he's read every book on philosophy ever written). The one exception here is the part involving bullying and suicides at Jasper's school, which is really really emotionally devastating - enough so to make one persist through the book in search of more of the same power (which does finally happen).

3 stars therefore for exceptional power and excellent writing, versus some (rather lengthy) deeply irritating sections and unsympathetic characters. But I'm very curious to see what Tolz will come up with next

An interesting story about Father - son(s) relationships in some very odd situations. It is well written. Toltz describes the situations in complete detail. Some of the situations are ridiculous but make total sense based on the characters personalities, some funny situations and some ridiculously funny situations. It's very easy to immerse yourself in the story. Toltz does a good job of setting up the story starting out with setting up how these characters came to be and their genetic make up according to the stories told by the Father. The story is told in a fairly detailed and descriptive way. I do like the narrative style of this book.

Through these characters you get to travel to many different places. It's quite an adventure. It's a crazy zany story that just could happen. It's fiction in a non fiction way in that the story is well written and the characters are believable

This is an excellent fist novel that reads like a seasoned writer had written it.

"I don't believe in anything," proclaims Martin Dean, the sarcastic and witty "philosopher" father of Jasper Dean and brother to the dead but famous populist criminal Terry Dean. And indeed, as this humorous and long running narrative of his life, told by his son Jasper demonstrates, he really doesn't. Martin rejects religion, mysticism, nationalism, commericialism, almost any other ideology one can think of, and people in general, whom he regards as so full of foibles that they can barely be tolerated. He recognizes, under the tutelage of a seasoned criminal, that life has no meaning, no purpose, and no real value. And yet, he rejects, to the very end, the obvious existentialist option of suicide. Instead, he tries to create meaning for himself and the results are disasterous. From his first "project"-- a suggestion box to improve the quality of life in his town (the box inadvertantly leads to the destruction of his family and town) to the end when Martin, desiring adulation of the masses, promotes a ponzi scheme to enrich the people of Austrailia only to have corruption in its operations lead to the opposite effect, Martin is forever trying to create meaning for his life, only to have his plans backfire.

In some contrast to Martin are the many interesting characters who surround him in this book, not least of which is his only son, the narrator of "his" life. (Jasper sets out to tell his own story but finds his father consumes most of the text and worries, with some justification, that he will turn out to be just like his dad.) Martin's only life-long friend, "Eddie" it turns out is really just a low life criminal. His first marriage, a fling that involved an accidental pregnancy, ends in her death at his "work" site. His business associates are ruined, often by Martin's own malefeasance, and his one true love is literally destroyed as a result of Martin's inability to believe in the one genuine miracle that occurs in his life. In short, not only does Martin drag himself down, he drags down everyone else. "Dad's philosophy won him few personal victories in life: not love, not peace, not success, not happiness," Jasper explains. And yet I'm sure many readers will find themselves grudgingly admiring the obstinancy Martin exhibits in his life even as it invariably leads to no good end. I know I did.

One character, however, does escape the downward spiral of Martin's life. Anouk, the housekeeper, is a perfect foil for Martin. He believes nothing, while she believes in literally anything. Radical feminism, anti capitalist rants, yoga, buddhism, and the like are all somehow contained within her and despite her initial dislike of Martin, she does try throughout this novel to save him. Her efforts are apparently for naught, but in the process she does manage to save herself and by novel's end she has done very well.

So what ultimately is the message of this wonderful novel? Clearly the skepticism and cyncism of Martin is writ too large for it not to reflect the actual beliefs of the real author, Steve Toltz. But skepticism, while an effective acid test of belief systems, is not itself a belief system and treating it as such is ultimately destructive. Indeed, reflecting upon his father's life, Jasper realizes that a part of him shares his Dad's cynical view of society, but that is literally only a part, or fraction, of the whole. Part of him is also shaped by Anouk, and part also by his long dead mother, whose artistic talent he seems to have inherited. Jasper decides, as he embarks on his own life journey, that he will keep his father's skepticism, but allow some room for the little mysteries that life offers. In our ramshackle world where politics is often a bitter contest between fundamentalists of varying stripes (including especially the so-called "secularists") Jasper's approach to his own life is worthy of consideration, and perhaps even praise. So too is this first novel by Steve Toltz.

Every once in awhile you get the opportunity to read a book that comes close to astounding you, but you're not really sure why. In this debut book by author Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole will demand your attention. It's a book about a remarkably dysfunctional family, the Deans of New South Wales, Australia. It's primarily about Martin Dean as remembered by his son Jasper. Unfortunately, Martin Dean's life is overshadowed by his brother, a notorious and somewhat beloved and infamous criminal.

Martin Dean is truly a loser in almost every sense of the word, but the story that is told in this book about his quirky life and relationships raises a number of great points and will stay with you long after you have scanned the last page.

Among the issues to think about are the bonds of family, what truly makes a worthwhile and happy life, and some interesting commentary regarding what it is to be Australian and the impact of nationalism.

Overall, it's one of the better books I've read in a long time that made me laugh, angered me at times, caused me to think, but never had me question why I chose to read it.

I give it a strong recommendation.

I was expecting an obscure story, based upon the synopsis I had read, but I have to say after reading A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz my mind not only hopped aboard the train wreck called the Dean family's life, but I also soaked in the brilliant philosophical prose of this new writer.

I found myself reading passages again and again for fun, and laughing despite the unfortunate events in this novel. Steve Toltz brilliantly wove everyday humor and observations into the fabric of a bizarre, slightly possible story.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The writing style is fresh and unlike anything else I've ever read. I don't want to give away any of the spoilers, they are just too juicy, but I will tell you there is love, death, fire, suicide, crime, depression, self-hate, asylum, prison, three continents, booz, sex, nightclubs, bars, coming of age, rat poison, explosions, mazes, a foster home, books, and so much more. It's so juicy you'll want to read it twice!

The first novel by Steve Toltz, an ambitious 544 page work, reflects upon his obviously wide employment background and substantial life experience that flavour a picaresque tale. Its protagonist, Jasper Dean, in his twenties, relates events in this first person narrative, writing them while ensconced within a prison cell. With an obvious surfeit of free time, Jasper, in a richness of language not common to one of the novelist's age, relates of his many at times farcical adventures as companion to his late father Martin, and additionally comments at philosophic length of his viewpoints concerning any topic that pops to his mind. Jasper has harboured a good deal of hatred for his father, but upon looking back at their shared past, he realizes that the relationship has been been of great value to him as his judgmental nature sees that Martin was a paranoic, struggling with a dysfunctional condition that had been critical to a young man whose mother had disappeared somewhere into the European continent, and whose store of admiration had been directed toward his long-deceased uncle Terry, Martin's brother, sworn enemy and notorious outlaw. Martin and Jasper had traveled widely and during the course of their various journeys, the younger Dean had discovered some surprising facts concerning his own origins. Irony abounds in this always interesting work, as Jasper, who considers himself above all a survivor, has a grand time in exposing bromidic actions that seem to surround him. A reader will look forward with some impatience to the second novel from the talented Toltz.

It's hard to know what to make of "A Fraction of the Whole," which is, if nothing else, a study in contradictions. It's not an easy read, but it is an extremely enjoyable one. It is at once absurdist and profound, farcical and deadly serious. At times, I suspected the author was poking fun at the reader; other times, I was sure he was.

The narrative is organized as a set of flashbacks-within-flashbacks, comprised of manuscripts, diaries, interviews, and monologues, told in first-, second-, and third-person at various points. It is the story of Martin Dean, who will eventually become the most hated man in Australia; his brother Terry, an outlaw folk hero; and his son Jasper, who resents his father's influence over his life and is terrified that he is turning into him, without realizing that he already has. The term "unreliable narrator" is given whole new meaning here. While we realize pretty early on that Martin is a few crackers short of a barrel, the full depths of his insanity aren't plumbed until the book's final pages. In between, the more we learn about Martin, the more we realize how inevitable his craziness really is. As they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't still out to get you. None of this changes the fact that all three are unlikable, unsympathetic, charming, captivating, complex, extraordinarily entertaining characters. You're fascinated by them at the same time as you're horrified.

If the brain of this book is its three main male characters, then its heart (and perhaps liver and bile duct) are the various women that intersect their lives, alternately binding them together and tearing them apart. Unfortunately, because we only get to see these intriguing women through the eyes of the book's enormously self-involved men, they are left feeling somewhat incomplete. Astrid, Jasper's mother, suffers the most from this treatment, but their housekeeper Anouk and Caroline, the women loved by both Martin and Terry, are shorted as well. You can't have everything, but I do wish that somewhere in the book's many rambling passages we were accorded a bit more insight into these pivotal characters.

A plot summary here seems beside the point. Suffice to say, Martin, Terry, and Jasper grow up each in their own times, do horrendous things, feel bad about them (or not) to varying degrees, make each others' lives miserable, and pontificate about What It All Means. Jasper, our supposed protagonist, finds himself eclipsed by his larger-than-life father, who himself struggles his entire life to escape the shadow of the beloved Terry. Crimes are plotted, schemes are hatched, adventures are had, Great Ideas are formulated. Throughout, every one of the reader's comforts, ideals, preconceptions, and beliefs will invariably be skewered, mocked, and turned inside out in the most entertaining way possible.

"A Fraction of the Whole" is not for everyone. But it is for anyone who enjoys well-honed irony, difficult concepts, skillful writing, and complex characters. This is a masterful first novel and I look forward to more from author Steve Toltz.

This book hit me like a breath of fresh air. On the one hand, it's full of black humor and dry wit, but on the other it's very real and in parts quite touching. The novel follows Jasper Dean as he tries to piece together the history of his family, a group of people who really put the "fun" in "dysfunctional." From his own nontraditional upbringing to his uncle's sense of justice to the girl his father hires to clean their house, the characters in this book are bizarre and fascinating without seeming like caricatures or "types." A lot of authors have tackled similar themes and ideas, but in my experience they often try too hard to seem funny. A Fraction of the Whole stood out for me because Toltz's writing style never seemed forced or contrived to me. It's funny, but genuinely so. And that, to me, was very, very refreshing.

One comes up a bit short trying to describe "A Fraction of the Whole." True, the book deals with the relationship of an eccentric father and son, but it is about that only in the way the "Confederacy of Dunces" is about a large rather odd man living in New Orleans. Indeed, it is Toole's classic "Dunces" which most often comes to mind when reading Toltz's "Whole," both highly original works in which odd protagonists offer meditations on the absurd inanity of modern life.

Toltz actually offers two protagonists. The first is Martin Dean. an out of work "philosopher" whose strange outlook is informed by many factors, including his relationship with his brother Terry - a criminal and Australian cult hero - and the large fraction of his youth spent in a coma. The second is Martin's son Jasper, who is just about as odd as his father. The narrative moves back and forth between their perspectives, a literary device currently in great fashion, but one often poorly used. Toltz, however, demonstrates his chops as a writer not only using it seamlessly, but to good effect.

As with "Dunces," attempting to explain the arc of this novel's narrative will not only fail to communicate what makes the work delightful, but will also risk ruining the readers fun, for it is at least as much the journey itself as where it goes that makes it a fun read. Some may likewise be put off by the works length - you know who you are - but such "shaggy dog" like meditations have their place and fans. I would also be remiss if I failed to mention that, in my humble opinion, this book is also frequently laugh out loud funny, a rarity in which I delight.

None of which is to say that Toltz's novel is perfect. As an introductory page from the publisher explains, when the book arrived on their desks they realized it might well be genius but was over 800 pages. Now reduced to 500, there are still a few passages and scenes which might have been trimmed without damaging the whole. Perfection, however, is overrated, and while I don't think this book is for everyone, some sizable fraction will not only enjoy it, but will hunger to see what Mr. Toltz produces next.