The Reivers
William Faulkner · 1897–1962 · USA
Why it matters
An eleven-year-old boy is dragged along on a stolen-car joyride from Mississippi to Memphis by two disreputable friends, and comes home changed by brothels, horse races, and hard-won mercy. Faulkner's last, warmest novel won him a second, posthumous Pulitzer.
At a glance
picaresquebildungsromancomedy
Difficulty 4/10medium pace305 pagesFaulkner's most linear, plainly comic novel, told in warm retrospective narration.
Deep dive
An eleven-year-old is dragged into a stolen-car joyride to a Memphis brothel, and Faulkner spends his last novel arguing that growing up means learning what to forgive.
Where to go next
William Faulkner · 1929The Sound and the FuryLvl 10Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1930As I Lay DyingLvl 9Medium pace
William Faulkner · 1936Absalom, Absalom!Lvl 10Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1950Collected Stories of William FaulknerLvl 7Slow burn
William Faulkner · 1954A FableLvl 9Slow burn
Cormac McCarthy · 1992All the Pretty HorsesLvl 6Medium pace