The Bear by William Faulkner

One thing I love is a straight-ahead story.  That is why I loved this book so much.  It is one of Faulkner’s short novels and after feeling battered and frustrated by a couple of earlier attempts at Faulkner, I was knocked on my ass by this story.  After reading the first half of this book, I turned to my wife and said something like,  “I think this might be the best thing I have ever read”.  Of course, she gave me a token smile and an, “oh, really?” in return.  Yes, really.  The second half is a bit more difficult than the first, but if you’re after a story that just goes crackling along, this is it.