EXTINCTION, by Thomas Berhard

Thomas Bernhard is an enjoyable writer that may take some getting used to for some readers. Extinction is his last book and is a typical example of his late works that are extremely critical diatribes aimed at his homeland of Austria, its culture, politics, history, people, etc. In the story, a man named Murau, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Rome for a number of years, unwittingly inherits the rural estate of his family when his parents and brother are killed in an auto accident. He returns to the estate to participate in the funeral and dispose of the property. That's about all the plot. The book consists of an  unbroken, unparagraphed rant against his family, and by exention, all things Austrian.  As strange as it sounds, the book is very witty and highly reflective, and as the character of the narrator, a complex and disturbed man,  solidifies beneath his narrative, the book offers many psychological and socio-cultural insights. Very entertaining. Not only that, the book is frequently hilarious!

Click here to read a review from the Vienna Review: http://www.viennareview.net/vienna-review-books/point-extinction-5196.html