Kate insisted I get this book, though I’d not heard of it listed as part of the Dune Universe. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008.

It’s fantastic.

Epic.

One of the great works of literature.

… At the heart of this sprawling, dizzying debut from a quirky, assured Australian writer are two men: Jasper Dean, a judgmental but forgiving son, and Martin, his brilliant but dysfunctional father. …

As philosophical as Confederacy of Dunces.

Laugh out loud funny. Black humour.

The downside? It’s far too long. The sections narrated by the father are much stronger than those narrated by the son.

My best advice is that you get A Fraction of the Whole as an audio book read by Aussies Craig Baldwin and Colin McPhillamy.

… Voicing the character of the father, Colin McPhillamy steals the show with a performance that engages listeners from the start. Everything about his narration seems underplayed and true. This is the perfect mix of comedy and drama …

I feel certain the book is twice as good delivered in a superb Aussie accent.

Amazon lists the audio version at about $39-$51. Crazy. Only stupid newbies pay retail.

Audio books cost about $16. They average about $13 for me, an Audible.com member taking advantage of every “special” that comes along.

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In contrast, the audio version of Dune is gawd awful.

Rather than have it read by Scott Brick, some idiot decided on an ensemble cast of readers. A blunder.