I’ve been thinking about Barney Panofsky recently – I was worried about him, but then I finished the book, and well…
Barney’s style of storytelling was difficult until I started to understand him. I’ll miss him more than most characters. He really made me think.
The book is hilarious in parts – specially the discussion of Chrohn’s Disease, which exists simply to show the reader how successful Duddy Kravitz is in life. The humour breaks the worry about Barney and we see the lighter side of his life, at least as Barney tells it.
Barney’s Version is the first Richler book I have read since reading Jacob Two-Two and the Hooded Fang in elementary school. I intend to read some more. Maybe I’ll even try to see the movie.
