The Town by William Faulkner

The second part of the Snopes trilogy builds more consistently than the first. In it, Flem Snopes makes the main part of his bid for respectability, the footprints on his way up, as he actually works against the less-than-savory members of his family, including Montgomery Ward and I.O.. Eula Varner remains fascinating, especially to Gavin Stevens, who also takes a liking to her daughter Linda. Although we never get Flem's perspective, this novel really helps to flesh out his character.