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Tough-O-Meter

We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)

(6) Tree Line

William Faulkner is known to be one of the most difficult authors, with all his Modernist techniques and big vocabulary and long sentences. However, this is one of his easiest stories to get a grip on, and it's written simply (compared to most of his novels, at least).

There are a few tricks to keeping the difficulty manageable, though. Don't expect a right answer for every question; don't expect a clear yes or no when something's ambiguous; and don't get frustrated if something doesn't make sense at first (it will, we promise).

Just keep calm and keep reading on.