[ndespres]

Much in the way that I would recommend to anyone struggling with "Moby-Dick" to try starting with Melville's much shorter novella "Bartleby, the Scrivener" to get a taste for the authors' style, wit, and use of language; I would suggest a volume of Greene's short stories. In a few or a few dozen pages it is easier to see how he draws a character, uses dialogue, employs irony and humor to make a point or cause the reader to reflect. Once you have a feel for what Greene finds funny (or distasteful) it is easier to see how his commentary takes shape over the course of a longer novel.

A few stories that come to mind that might make good examples are "When Greek Meets Greek" and "The Destructors."

[bloak]

"A drive in the country" is one of the best short stories I've ever read. Structurally perfect. (Warning: includes suicide.)