** spoiler alert ** The only reason for finishing this book was my fascination with the total failure of this book on almost every level. As I read it I kept telling my husband about the ridiculous situations and stupid errors (was there even an editor?) of nearly every chapter. The plot was average and the concept of multiple voices in different chronological orders could have been interesting but the author did not succeed in creating a readable novel.

Characters were inconsistent, and unlikeable. Many characters were stereotypical.

The prose was inconsistent in quality.

Geographic descriptions were inaccurate.

On the audio version I listened to she said it was 118 degrees in Indianapolis. Did I hear incorrectly? That would be about 10-15 degrees hotter than the record temps in that city.

The daughter was so inconsistently portrayed, sometimes described as looking older than her 14/15 years, often described as a skinny child. She gets her first period in one chapter an is looking forward to developing breasts, & is having sex with a 25-year-old within a month of that?!

The 25-year-old is supposed to be smart & mature, yet he has sex with a runaway who is barely 15 just days after meeting her.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say that reading this book is like watching a train wreck- you can't believe the horror of it. Aspiring authors should read it as an example of what not to do. Writing teachers might consider using it for that purpose.