An interesting book, well written and worth a read. I have some issues with it, of course. It's definitely a literary novel, more concerned with character than plot, although it's not so far down that curve as the novels I have read by Oates, for instance. My main issue is that he reveals the end of the plot almost as soon as the book begins. What is the purpose of that? It's almost as if, to be considered literary, he has to destroy his plot. He does it repeatedly for minor plot points as well, removing all suspense. We are robbed of the "what is going to happen," and left with only "how did it happen."
The first seventy pages are a chore. They are almost "preachy", pushing a certain religious take on life, and I found it hard to swallow. If the book hadn't been recommended, I would have quit somewhere in those seventy pages. I'm still glad that I read it though. I will never ruin my plot by removing all suspense.
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