I'm just finishing up Nick's 'Gnomon', and it has blown my mind. It's been quite a while since a book has enthralled me just as as this.
FWIW, _Gnomon_ is IMHO a sprawling mess that has pretentious metaphors and numerous loosely connected strands. Like _Cloud Atlas_ but with less structure and more tangents.
You may be OK with that (and I am); but if you aren't, it won't be for you.
which book would you suggest someone starts with?
The Gone Away World is my personal favorite - creative (and outright bonkers in a sophisticated way), funny, and deeply humane.