Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

I had never heard of this book or this author, so I wasn't particularly in a hurry to read it.  I checked it out from the library last week, though, since it was a short book and I needed something short once I finished Les Miserables.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  What a great book!  Now I'm excited to read the rest of Davies' Deptford trilogy.  The title comes from opera:  there is a heroine and a hero, a contralto (support for the heroine or an enchantress), and the villain.  Then there is "fifth business," the fifth character who is necessary for the plot line.  The "fifth business" referred to in this book is Dunston Ramsay, and the story is told in first person from his point of view.  It is his autobiography, which is largely concerned with other people from his hometown of Deptford.  It is well-written and interesting.  It feels literary while still being vastly entertaining.  An excellent read that goes quickly, easily worth the time.