The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 4 March 1998
by Walker Percy
Williston Bibb Barrett is a lost Southern soul wandering through life in New York City after dropping out of Princeton. He is haunted by the images of his father and grandfather, and the noble Southern (and Confederate) history of his family. Will experiences "fugues", which cause him to mentally drop out of life. He drops in again only at the sites of Civil War battles. This all changes, though, when an odyssean series of events is set in motion after he spies a pretty young woman on a Central Park bench through his nice new telescope. In this novel, Percy also explores his religious views on life in America. This commentary, though, offered through the notes of one character, does not weigh down the book, which is rich with imagery, colorful characters and situations. Will falls in with the Vaught family, wealthy and highly disfunctional. In his quest for his own identity, he searches for answers in their own desires and experiences. It is an existential quest, one with perhaps unfulfilling results. The book is challenging and entertaining.
Also by Percy: [Love in the Ruins]