Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz.

Toltz comic novel, with its blend of comic absurdity, rich narrative and exhilarating visions, really pulsates.

Short listed for the Man Booker Prize 2008, the story has Jasper Dean locked away in prison pondering over his unusual life story. Attempting some personal redemption he sets about writing a book narrating his unusual father and son story. Set across three continents, journeying from cities to jungles, with hardly a cuddle to keep them going. They are 'lazy people on an adventure.'

Don't be fooled by the tough 'Aussie' exterior, judging this book by its cover may catch you unawares. I found the complex narrative and humorous mix quite spellbinding. In places the interaction between characters, is poignant, sensitive and moving. Although, at times I was spinning with the number of ideas, led from one to another, leaving me quite dizzy; one moment in school yard the next discussing deep sociological theories. A whopping 710 pages in length, I wonder in the end if some of this novel's excellent features may have been worn a little thin. Never-the-less, Toltz has written a fine piece of engaging storytelling, which I recommend to you.

Adrian Mitchell

A Fraction of the Whole, Steve Toltz's debut novel has started a quarrel in the literary world. One half argue that this is a true masterpiece; stimulating and well thought out, while others argue that the 711-page novel is simply a collection of sub plots with no perspectives and contains one too many dire dud patches.

It gives an inspiring account of Jasper Dean, and his reflection on his father Martin Dean. A failed genius who spent his existence torn between his own misanthropic values; that he must discard the world and its foolish residents, contradictory with the bleak longing that those individuals should sit up and take notice of him.

Jasper Dean is our narrator and relies heavily on extracts lifted from Martins journals, to aid his research into whom his father truly was.

Whatever its faults, Toltz's book is a brilliant debut; it bounces with sarcastic cliches. It has what many 700-page novels lack- the character development that calls on us to care for the characters, as well as the absurd exaggeration that makes it exhilarating, urging us to keep turning those many pages!