As I Lay Dying

Oh man where to begin.

I (re-)read this while sick over the span of 4 days and it was a tough, tough read. I had initially read it about 10 years ago as a high school assignment and didn’t get much out of it, not surprisingly.

Now, I find it terribly haunting and aggravating. I honestly don’t think I have anything intelligent to say right now. I have so many wispy, uncollected, deeply rooted thoughts about this book and pride and sin and character and sacrifice and selfishness.

Structurally, I love how Faulkner bends time and perspective and omniscience, it’s just remarkable. I’m obsessed with the concept of giving the reader just enough to understand everything without ever being explicit. How far can you blur the lines and still make the sketch visible? Is it a surprise? It’s pretty damn far.