A Fraction of the WholeA Fraction of the Whole
Score Modern
What it's about
Jasper Dean tells the story of his eccentric, paranoid, philosophizing father, Martin, who raised him in Sydney full of strange theories, and of his uncle Terry, Australia's most famous criminal, who began as a boy taking violent revenge on cheating athletes. Jasper loves, hates and pities his father, and he's terrified of becoming him.
Why it's worth reading
It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It's a wildly funny, sprawling comic novel bursting with ideas.
You'll love it if you liked
A Confederacy of Dunces
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
White TeethGood to know
It's over 700 pages, digressive and talky.
By the numbers
- Readers70 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller10 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #152 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #690 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1302 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is A Fraction of the Whole worth reading?
Yes. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It ranks #1,302 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Fraction of the Whole about?
Jasper Dean tells the story of his eccentric, paranoid, philosophizing father, Martin, who raised him in Sydney full of strange theories, and of his uncle Terry, Australia's most famous criminal, who began as a boy taking violent revenge on cheating athletes. Jasper loves, hates and pities his father, and he's terrified of becoming him.
How long does it take to read A Fraction of the Whole?
About 17 hours (667 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Fraction of the Whole?
If you liked it, try A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz or White Teeth by Zadie Smith.