The Royal Family (edit title)

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Liked It 1 of 1 members found this review helpful Rated 5 stars “Royal Family was the first book by William Vollmann I read. I initially lusted after the cover and the sheer size of the thing. I was in my freshman year of school, trying to make it through the Keats, Shelley, Byron, et al. that I had avoided really reading in high school, and just couldn't...” see full review » see other reviews »

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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Royal Family was the first book by William Vollmann I read. I initially lusted after the cover and the sheer size of the thing. I was in my freshman year of school, trying to make it through the Keats, Shelley, Byron, et al. that I had avoided really reading in high school, and just couldn't believe someone was writing about this stuff. I mean, come on, talk about taboo: familial adultery, whores, drug use, pedophilia, voyeurism, etc etc...
  It's a big book, yes, but as readable as just about anything Vollmann has written thus far (Europe Central and Rising are but two examples of much denser works by the author). Plus, this was a cat who graduated summa cum from Cornell and went to fight with the Afgans, and then went on to hang out with the type of people in this book...It's fiction, but like all great fiction, it isn't. This book fucking stole my soul away by ripping (violently) the veil that middle-class America (of which I am certainly a part) has to place over its rusty, shattered edges. Those edges were revealed to be the most precious, fragile elements of my country I had ever witnessed.
  Was talking just the other day to a friend about Great American novels, and what might be the most recent text to add to that completely nominal category (whatever works for you, okay). He mentioned Delillo's Underworld, which I could totally see, but I had to mention this book. It began one of the greatest loves of my life, which, thankfully, continues through this day.”

  MFJoe wrote this review Wednesday, July 18 2007. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No