First off, just to set you straight, I liked this book. A fine piece of literature for sure: tight, creative writing, deeply human and interesting characters, a stellar setting, and a well-fashioned plot. Yet...something was missing here for me. In the middle of the book I really found myself struggling to care about these characters. Really, and what bugs me is why. Was it the overall depressing tone of the book, the weak-mindedness of some of the characters, the sometime stilted dialog, or something else entirely, subtle and unidentifiable? Maybe it was that I just didn't like it. I remember a childhood argument with a friend where I told him that I didn't like a particular piece of music and he asked why and I told him that I really had no reason, I just didn't like it. This didn't work for him at all. You must qualify you answer, he said. Well, I think I tried but in the end it really just came down to not liking it, ya know? I now think it’s quite OK to just not like something. Not that you shouldn't TRY to understand why something doesn't work for you, ask and question what makes or doesn’t make something great, what propels a piece of art into something special and memorable. In the end, though, to simply say "I don't like it" is A-OK with me. Definitive, right? Clearly positioned. Given the subjective nature of all art, I am amazed that this is not the answer we all give when asked our opinion on something (perhaps it should be!).

But again, I did like this book, especially the end (never has so much happened in the last 30 pages!) Also, there are some real gems of diction here, like this: "It was harder to count his errors now, perhaps because they had compounded beyond counting, or had blurred into his general condition." Great. Or this: "For the devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle initial was X. Face like cottage cheese clawed with a fork." Yikes! Love it. Also, great name, Tert Card. So anyway, three stars from me, which is actually pretty low if you haven't noticed. Still a good book and a good read, but not one of my favorites.