The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham

I'd forgotten how sexist this book is, how sexist Maugham generally is. Nonetheless, it's a stunning portrait of a man who does portraits -- I'm writing this for myself so puns come aplenty, o imagined reader I am writing to regardless. Maugham combines psychology with storytelling, but in a majestic way: allowing a character's mysterious behaviour to remain mysterious, not providing reasons where reason knows not, all the while still rendering the characters believable.