A Fraction of the Whole
by Steve Toltz
Martin Dean spent his entire life analysing absolutely everything – from the benefits of suicide to the virtues of strip clubs – and passing on his self-taught knowledge to his son, Jasper. But now that his father’s dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the man who raised him in intellectual captivity and the irony is this: theirs was a great adventure.
As he recollects the extraordinary events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries – about his infamous criminal uncle, his mysteriously absent mother, and Martin’s constant battle to leave his mark on the world. From the Australian bush to the cafes of Paris; from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition, A Fraction of the Whole is an unforgettable, rollicking and deeply moving family story.
‘A riotously funny first novel that is harder to ignore than a crate of puppies… Mr. Toltz’s merry chaos — a mix of metaphysical inquiry, ribald jokes, freakish occurrences and verbal dynamite booming across the page — deserves a place next to A Confederacy of Dunces’
Wall Street Journal