Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner (1987, Paperback)

So absorbing, you won't want to sleep. I had heard this was Faulkner's best novel. I agree. The complexity, the suspense (maintained until the last page and chronology), and the symbolism added to the character development. Some things don't make sense if you haven't read other accounts of Yoknapatapha County. It brings to life the realization of how the South was so "land poor" at the end of the civil war, and we know why Scarlet O'Hara pledged to "never be hungry again." Although this was written in 1936, we gain an idea of why the civil war is not forgotten in the South.

This book prompted research into the title. It wasn't apparent from the novel itself, but I would recommend the reader find out about who Absalom was before embarking on a night without sleep.