As I Lay Dying

I enjoyed this. I didn't know what to expect because I'd never read Faulkner before and I hear both positive and negative (in terms of the difficulty of his writing) but it was very interesting. This is a story that takes place in MS where a family is the focus after their matriarch dies. Each character has a chapter (or chapters). Certain characters were difficult to follow --such as the youngest member of the Bundren family- who was young, and of course sounded young. These are ALL deeply flawed characters, each with their own set of issues, and of course..like any family death, they are brought together under grim circumstances and have to deal with one another. The patriarch, Anse, was just completely unlikeable. Even the deceased matriarch wasn't all that likeable or even loved by her family (and this is made extremely clear in the "didn't see it coming" end. There are narrations from the deceased, Anse, all the children, neighbors, doctors, and random people who come into contact with the Bundren family in their quest to have their mother/wife buried in the town she wished to be rested.

I can believe that Faulkner wrote this is 6 weeks, and its still in its original format. Only a talented writer could do that much character development in such a short time. I'm glad I read it...I felt like I was missing out by not reading some of his works and sure enough..I was. DEFINITELY not for everyone. Some books you just have to read slow...and this is one of them. There are so many interpretations of this book that are out there that make this even more fun to read.