Customer Reviews

The Last of the Crazy People.

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Timothy Findley's first novel is a powerfully shocking read full of characters who reach out to the reader. Set in Ontario in 1964, the main character is an 11 year old boy, Hooker Winslow, living within a dysfunctional family. Findley holds your attention while you identify with this young man trying to learn about the problems in his family--but no one will tell him the truth. Not his distanced father who speaks to no one except his own spinster sister Rosetta who lives FOR her brother. Not his mother, the "crazy" Jessica who no longer wants to be a mother. Sometimes his drunken brother Gil. And the maid, Iris, tries to help him--but the truth is never within his grasp. The ending is breath-taking. Read this novel and you'll become a Findley fan.

Much of Findley's work revolves around upscale families with problems. The Last of the Crazy People is no exception. As seen through the eyes of the youngest child in the family, who is really the only one not yet corrupted by loss of innocence, the story is told with the accuracy that only a child's perception will grant. Beautifully written, this is yet another book by Timothy Findley that i have loved.

This is Findley's first novel, written in 1967 and set in the mid-1960s. It takes place in a small town setting outside of Toronto, but could very well have been set in deepest Mississippi for all the southern goth elements that dominate this book. A family disintegrates through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. Mother won't leave her room, Brother is consumed by alcohol, Father is powerless. The boy's best friends are his cats and the black housemaid he is most attached to. In true southern goth style, things unravel in horrible ways as the family members drift further apart over the course of what should be a magical summer for the typical 11-year-old. Darkness, decay, death, despair, and the opening of a young boy's eyes to the realities of the world. Emotionally powerful, this book is simply awesome. Highly recommended for southern goth fans.

Findley is a very gifted writer, and his talent shines through in this book. "The Last of the Crazy People" is a stunning piece about a dysfunctional family. From the first page, Findley calculatingly begins to describe the family in such a way that holds the readers attention. Reading this book is like watching a car crash in slow motion. It is a creative and intriguing read.

This is one of Mr. Findley's finest works. The metaphorical imagry used to discribe us as mankind is graphic and haunting. I know that I'll never forget,"The Last Of The Crazy People".