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A review by blevins
Norwood by Charles Portis
5.0
I'm going to re-read a bunch of cult favorite Charles Portis in 2015 and have started with his short first novel, Norwood, a fiendishly funny book that is part sincere, part outlandish and charming as all get out. In fact, this remains one of the funniest books I've ever read, as the title character gets into all kinds of odd situations on his journey from Ralph, texas to New York City. Published in the mid 1960s, Portis perfectly captures the quirky ways of many, many people as they interact with one another. What sets the humor to another level is the straight-faced sincerity that Portis plays the comedy. It's kind of a Southern dead-pan with Norwood dealing with eccentrics and reacting to them with an earnestness that makes the comedy even more rewarding. What a debut.