A Fraction of the Whole

There are times when it feels as if A Fraction of the Whole is trying very hard to be the Great Australian Novel (if there is such a thing). There are times when if feels as if it succeeds, at least to an American who has visited the country only once. It is simultaneously a love letter to and harsh critique of Australia.

It is also the story of a hyper-dysfunctional family, told from the point of view of a son, Jasper Dean, whose only goal in life is not to become his father.

But we also get the point of view of the Martin Dean, the father. We hear him tell his own story. Through journal entries, conversation and autobiographies, we hear him narrate his many frustrations, most of them of his own invention. This is where Steve Toltz really shines. He manages to convey Martin's progression of selves (or regression of selves, it's hard to say) from a child living in his brother's shadow to a young adult trying to escape that shadow to a father still desperately trying to make sense of the world and raise a child.

In the end, the book is also a harsh critique of and love letter to a slightly mad, overbearing father. It is bizarre, hilarious and all too human.