Ham on Rye

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I am currently reading "Ham on Rye" by Bukowski. I had never read anything by him before, but had heard various people discussing his works before. While the quality of his works may be debated, his influence as the "laureate of American lowlife" (Time Magazine) never been disputed. The novel focuses on the life of Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's alter ego - a boy from a poor background growing up during the Depression, suffering from loneliness and a particularly bad case of acne.

The book is written in an extremely forward style, which helps depict vivid images of the era and Henry's suffering. The book seems to have many parallels with Georg Samsa ('Metamorphosis' - Kafka) and to some extent Meursault ('L'Etranger - Camus): 

• the absurdity of the human race and perhaps, 

• the need to fit into society (and whatever that may mean...)

• the alienation and resulting from a "monstrous" appearance