5 stars all the way until the ending. I get the point he is making (Miles needs a shattering event to knock him out of his rut of a life), but this was over the top and unnecessary. Anyway, the book as a whole is a great portrayl of the bottom half of middle America (New England), and how people in this slice of life have often given up on their big dreams but still find little avenues of wishful thinking to keep them shuffling from day to day. The characters don't necessarily become your friends as much as they become compilations of people you know, that you grew up with, or work with. His writing style is very warm and rich; you're compelled to keep reading in the same way that you are compelled to read your hometown newspaper to see who got married or arrested over the weekend.