Author:Steve Toltz
Steve Toltz's A Fraction of the Whole is a riotously funny explosion of a novel
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008
From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz's A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.
'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant' Guardian
'Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life' Independent
'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut' Observer
'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients . . . Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls'Big Issue
Steve Toltz was born in Sydney. After graduating from Newcastle University in 1994, he has lived in Sydney, Montreal, Vancouver, Barcelona and Paris, working primarily as a screenwriter and freelance writer, but also doing stints as both a private investigator and an English teacher. A Fraction of the Whole is his first book.
A brutally disturbing story. Truely shocking.
—— Daily MirrorHer story is horrifying and terrifyingly explicit in parts, but Tomlin's words are always believable. Donna's spiral downwards is the stuff of nightmares and a warning to anyone who thinks they can handle a cocktail of drugs and love. In parts I was almost too sickened to carry on - but I could not put it down. (5 stars)
—— News of the WorldAn absorbing story which confirms Indridason's place among the leading writers of Nordic crime fiction
—— Sunday TelegraphBeautifully written and translated, the novel has both a strong sense of place and themes that transcend it; it confirms Indridason as one of those crime writers who rises above genre, combining suspense with moving insights into the human condition
—— Sunday TimesIndridason pieces together a convincing plot, while exploring universal issues of political idealism and shattered dreams
—— Daily MirrorA beautiful, sad, haunting tale of lost love and lost illusion, regret and betrayal
—— The TimesA very good read which involves the reader deeply in the lives and the events of the story
—— Crimesquad.comFranklin is one of the very best creators of medieval whodunits writing today. The snow falls, the death toll mounts... and the Thames freezes over in this wonderfully atmospheric, fast-paced and intelligent recreation of a vanished world
—— GUARDIANCaptivating... this excellent adventure delivers high drama
—— THE NEW YORK TIMESIt's as original as its prize-winning predecessor: a real treat
—— LITERARY REVIEWMesmerizing... A colourful cast of characters, both good and evil, enhance a tale that will keep readers on edge until the final page
—— PUBLISHERS WEEKLYAccomplished and engrossing
—— GOOD BOOK GUIDEJosh Bazell justifies the hype surrounding his debut novel to formulate a clever, imaginative piece tracking 24 hours in the life of the likeable Peter Brown...driven by fast -paced narrative and some neat plot twists that engage the reader's interest to the final page
—— The Press AssociationA ferocious firecracker, ablaze with hilarious one-liners, plot switchbacks, gore, sex and even a James Bond-style tank full of sharks...Josh Bazell manages to make hitman/doctor hero Peter Brown a sympathetic, even lovable leading man of such intensity, he practically drags the reader along by the hair
—— Big IssueIt's the kind of stuff you should roll your eyes at, but it's too much fun to do anything but keep flipping pages to see where Bazell will take Peter next. And there are more pages yet to come, apparently; this is merely the first installment in a planned series, with a Leonardo DiCaprio-led movie also on the way. Read Beat the Reaper now, so you know what all the fuss is about later
—— Bullz EyeMaybe not quite blown away so much as having my jaw drop to the floor on several occasions and having to endure the snap as it reconnected with the rest of my face. Beat the Reaper is like having a bucket of ice cold water poured over you - shocking, invigorating and certain to get your attention - but leaving you shivering and feeling a bit queasy after the initial assault on your senses is over
—— The Truth About BooksHigh octane thriller that moves along at a cracking pace
—— BooksellerFast, fun, furious, fierce...or better yet, stop reading the accolades for Beat the Reaper, open up to page one, and start reading. See you at the cash register
—— Harlan CobenOutrageously funny ... This may be the most imaginative, albeit the most violent and profanity-laden, debuts of the new year ... If you don't like extreme gun violence, blow-by-blow descriptions of surgical procedures performed by doped-up, angry doctors, the lack of care administered by bitter nurses, misdiagnoses and a huge dose of vulgarity, this novel is not for you. If, however, you can take all of the above, you'll be treated to a story that gets at the heart of one man's immense loneliness and heartbreak. Be warned: One of the final scenes reaches new heights for gory. How then, you might ask, does this novel earn its comedic stripes? Bazell, a medical resident at the University of California, brings a Scrubs mind-set to his story and jacks it up to an outrageous level that will never be seen on network TV
—— USA TodayAn unusually talented writer...Genuinely entertaining...The story is so engaging that you don't want to be yanked out of it...Darkly comic...Bazell has a knack for breathing new life into the most timeworn genre conventions....The climax of Beat the Reaper finds Brown locked in a medical freezer waiting for his arch-nemesis to arrive and finish him off. The plan Brown concocts to save himself is the novel's most original flourish. It is also completely outrageous, so much so that I had to stop and think about whether I could really suspend my disbelief. In the end I decided that Bazell had more than earned my indulgence as a reader. If there's a better recommendation for a story than that, I don't know what it is
—— New York Times Book ReviewSuffering from Post-Holiday Stress Syndrome? Dr Josh Bazell has the prescription...he has written the first flat-out entertaining novel of 2009...It's an ingenious premise for a thriller, and Bazell pulls it off...Told with exquisite acerbic humour without sacrificing intrigue or tension...Beat the Reaper only gets better, turn by turn, page by page. Savvy and savagely diverting, it's a Tarantino movie made with Scorsese looking over his shoulder
—— New York Daily News[a] breakneck cross between a hospital drama, "The Godfather" and a Quentin Tarantino film
—— Bloomberg.comA propulsive, savvy read featuring characters both well shaded and shady, this debut thriller by a physician polymath with a BA in writing from Brown also offers the garnish du jour in the form of elaborate and funny footnotes (à la David Foster Wallace). You can prescribe this to fans of Carl Hiaasen and quirky abrasive fiction
—— Library Journal[a] quirky and darkly humourous novel... Beat the Reaper is a wonderfully engaging novel that starts with a full-on beginning and doesn't let up until the end
—— Crimesquad.comThis is the second funniest health care-based fiction to come out of the United States this year after the Republican Party's descriptions of the NHS
—— Daily Telegraph