Well Begun and All Done: A Frolic of His Own

The book:

A Frolic of His Own by William Gaddis.

Opening line:
Justice? --You get justice in the next world, in this world you have the law.

Ending line:
Lily come here quickly I can't, Lily help me!

The first thing we should tell you about A Frolic of His Own is that it is marked by a highly distinctive style: Call it, Gaddisian English. In Gaddisian, language is used not so much to show or to tell but rather to immerse. Gaddis ignores conventional punctuation, counting instead on a meticulous ordering of words and on the unflagging attention of his readers: If you read carefully, you fall into the flow of Gaddisian, and you can keep track of what is happening; if you are a lazy reader, you will be lost.

The first line is a good example of Gaddis's mechanics. The first word, "Justice," should be understood as the thought of one of the characters, the same character who then speaks the next line (You get justice in the next world. . . .). Gaddis eschews quotation marks in favor of dashes. He never directly identifies his speakers: Readers are left to sort that out through careful attention to dialogue--dialogue which comprises the bulk of the novel.

In this case, the speaker is Harry Lutz, the brother-in-law of the main character, Oscar Crease. Harry is a lawyer and seemingly the most level-headed character in the book. This opening line establishes the central theme of the novel, which is primarily a satire on the American legal system. Oscar Crease is constantly seeking "justice" through a variety of lawsuits (in one of which he ends up suing himself) but is constantly thwarted by the neverending complications of the legal industry.

About the closing line, we have less to say; indeed, we admit to being slightly shaky about what, exactly, is happening at the very end of the novel. We can tell you that the various lawsuits are resolved with about the level of satisfaction for the main characters that one would expect in a work of satire.

Ultimatelty, Frolic is notable as an exercise in style. The writing is hypnotic, which is fortunate, because it's also challenging. This is not a light read, but if you're looking for a somewhat unique literary experience, you may want to take on the challenge.