I really enjoyed reading William Faulkner’s Sanctuary. It’s one of his earlier novels, and of those I’ve read I think one of his most poetic. Faulkner can be something of an acquired taste — it took me several attempts to acquire it myself — and does require close attention to even figure out what is going on. (Even after I’d finished, the Wikipedia entry for the book held some surprises on that front.) Often, Faulkner is more about the rhythms of the language than the simple straightforwardness of a plot. But I submit that when those rhythms are really working, there’s nothing like them.
For instance, there’s this:
And this:
And this.
None of which tells you what the book is about, but at the same time maybe tell you everything. I’m moving on to something different, I think — Phillip K. Dick, I think, though he can be no less an acquired taste sometimes, a difficult read. But I really did like the book a whole lot.
Faulkner definitely has a way with words, but that’s a book I’d have to be in the right mind for before I pick it up.
Not to scare you off, but that may be some of his more accessible writing. 🙂