Not as good as a book should be to share the National Book Award. ( )

In 1975 [b: The Hair of Harold Roux|10002787|The Hair of Harold Roux|Thomas Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312232829l/10002787._SX50_.jpg|1406276] by Thomas Williams shared the National Book Award with [b: Dog Soldiers|380364|Dog Soldiers|Robert Stone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1306365286l/380364._SY75_.jpg|1041095] by Robert Stone. This little reading adventure began with [b: A Flag for Sunrise|241951|A Flag For Sunrise|Robert Stone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408312819l/241951._SY75_.jpg|818563], the first Robert Stone novel that I read, which I very much enjoyed. That led to my reading Dog Soldiers, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I love reading about the backgrounds of the authors and their works. In reading about Dog Soldiers, I couldn't help but think that if I liked it that much maybe I should try The Hair of Harold Roux. I was intrigued that Robert Stone achieved a level of success and regard, whereas Thomas Williams remains relatively unknown. So I sat down to The Hair of Harold Roux to read a novel, to read a new author and to try to understand this outcome.

Any time sent comparing The Hair of Harold Roux and Dog Soldiers was short-lived. They are very different novels, but both deserving of admiration. The Hair of Harold Roux was complex and multi-layered in its construction, which I enjoy. An English professor in New Hampshire, Aaron Benham, is an established novelist, which is autobiographical in its outline of Thomas Williams. He is on leave writing a novel whose main character is Allard Benson, a student in a New Hampshire university; among Allard's future plans is the desire to write a novel. While there are many parallels between Aaron's past and Allard's past and present, there are also parallels between Allard's past and Thomas Williams' past. There is then the story of Aaron's family and the bedtime story that Aaron tells his children, Janie and Billy, who are characters in the bedtime story. There was depth to every character, there were tangents to the stories and it was all woven together miraculously well. I'll admit, as one GR reviewer commented, there wasn't much to like about any of the characters, but I like reading about characters I don't particularly care for. For me the only negative to this novel is that there was nothing unique or special about the core plot, but the rest was so good that I was spellbound. I will read more of Thomas Williams, just as I will read more of Robert Stone. I am happy that the two books shared the award in 1975, or I might never of found Thomas Williams. ( )

I couldn't get into it, but would like to try again sometime

I didn't think I was going to like this book. It got off to a slow start. But by the end, I was wondering how quickly I could find more of Thomas Williams' books, and how it is that I managed to have never previously heard of this American author (who passed away in the 70s I think). ( )

There are books out there that serve to remind us how many books we haven't yet read, and this is one of them. Closing the book, I realized that I now had another author I would need to explore further. The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams was first published in the 1970s and returns decades later as fresh as if written today. Williams succeeds in writing the novel-within-the-novel without seeming solipsistic or overtly navel gazing. Credit Williams' clear writing for the reader being able to follow a number of different story lines without confusion. ( )