I'm a big fan of several of Robbins' other books: Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I love his extrordinary writing style, coming up with amazing images and combinations of words like the improvisations of a virtuoso jazz player. I went along with this book for half its length, but then I just had to stop.

Robbins' style is as marvelous as ever. The first sentence, the first scene, are startling and had me hooked. As usual, there are intriguing and exotic characters popping off the pages (I particularly like the protagonist's grandmother, known as Maestra), but despite the exotic locations and occasional pops of events, the plot is as thin as the pages. I just got bored and stopped caring about what Switters would do next, despite his unusual predicament.