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This book is bafflingly beautiful. Set in Faulkner's mythical deep south, it follows the trails and tribulations of the Compson family as they try to retain their family values in an ever changing world.

The narrative is split into four sections each narrated by a different character. You start by being thrown in at the deep end with Benjy, one of the Compson children who obviously has some kind of learning difficulties. Faulkner treats this issue sensitively and you definitely feel that Benjy has a complex personality, even if his family don't seem to think so, but with such a narrow point of view the opening of the novel is very hard to follow. 

Once you feel you have the hang of Benjy's erratic narrative style the book changes pace as his brother Quentin takes up the narrative. Quentin tells his