4/5 stars.
ebook, 429 pages.
Read from February 12, 2019 to February 21, 2019.
I’ve known about this book for years because of its quirky cover and title but yet knew nothing about the witty and hilarious story within it or the tragic story of its author. Written by the editor, the prologue of this novel details the strange way this book came to exist as the editor explains how he came across what would become a Pulitzer Prize-winning story. The editor had been attempting to put off this random woman, Kennedy’s mother, who kept insisting that she has a great story for him to publish from her late son. When he is finally trapped in a corner from her persistence he accepts the manuscript anticipating he’d never read it. He devours the book an aptly publishes it with great success. John Kennedy Toole tragically committed suicide at the age of 31 leaving his mother with the manuscript of this novel. She wanted her son’s talent recognized and by getting his novel published ensured his legacy.
Ignatius is the main protagonist in this story, though as a reader you may not like him very much. He is a lazy, obese, misanthropic man-child who has some self-inflated ideas of himself. 
Of course, his strange views of himself and the world are what make his misadventures so damn funny. Like a peculiar Don Quixote, Ignatius has his own eccentric tendencies from his outrageous slob-fashion to the idea of his “valve” and how he reacts during “stressful” situations. Yet Ignatius’ disdain for the modern world is borderline admirable and while he may view the world differently his insights aren’t always wrong and seem to tap into some lost child-like feelings that we all push aside to fit into the modern world.
“Well, I have had enough of this. I’m going into the parlour to watch the Yogi Bear program. Between wine breaks, please bring me a snack of some sort. My valve is screaming for appeasement.”
Ignatius finds himself in trouble after his mother gets into a car accident and neither of them has any money to pay off the damage. Ignatius’ mother worked hard to put him in school and has received no thanks for her efforts. Ignatius is not a dumb man but his strong views on the world and himself contradict the status quo. Ignatius, who would rather pretend to “work” on a novel while living at his mother’s home for free, refuses to work and blames his mother for many things while showing no appreciation to the woman raised him, still believes in him, and who continues puts up with him. After finally being convinced to get a job Ignatius starts his misadventures from one job to the next meeting an array of characters and situations along the way.
After reading a quarter of the book, I thought I was tired of Ignatius’ antics. He was getting on my nerves with his narcissism and the horrible way he treats his mother however, once he started working, the story turned into something amazing. I found myself rooting for Ignatius and wanting to support his outlandish ideas just to see where he would end up. The initial plot and concern about the car accident became a thing of the past as I anticipated how wonderfully Ignatius would mess and yet always find a way to get out of any situation.
The writing and character work in this novel is nothing short of brilliant and it pains me to think of the talent with lost with the author’s early passing. This book would appeal to anyway the read and loved Don Quixote or who is interested in misadventure stories with unique protagonists.
The Pluviophile Writer 