Galapagos
Just read Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut. What caught my attention most in this book was the narrative structure. The narrator has witnessed an entire timeline of events, but describes them in a patchwork, here and there, before things begin to fit together, hinting at this or that and providing clarity later. Along the way, there are thoughtful and humorous reflections on humanity.
I can see why reviewers liken Kurt Vonnegut to Mark Twain. They’re both humorous authors, although this novel is the only Vonnegut I’ve read, so I don’t know that he’s always like this. But it reminded me of this from Twain’s How to Tell a Story:
The humorous story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around as much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular.