I have always wanted to get into Ali Smith's books since I had to read her version of the myth of Iphis for a Latin class, yet, despite the number of her books that I own, this is the first I have finished. I always find her writing to be somewhat inaccessible. This seems to be a pattern in trendy authors. The harder to read and more incomprehensible your book is, the better. However, I did sit down and read this book end to end after several false starts and I am not entirely upset that I did so.

Nota Bene:
The first few pages, though cute, are not representative of the book. Do not be thrown off course by them (or be overly optimistic if you adore them).

The most noticeable feature of this book was the stream-of-consciousness wordplay. Some of these sequences are absolutely fantastic and hilarious (if you are one of those people who become distracted by the flexibility of language). I was disappointed to find that most of these moments were in the beginning of the book and that as I turned the pages, I found more and more philosophical and plot digressions (possible? I think so) that I found to be much less enjoyable.

The book is written in four parts: there, but, for, and the. Get it? Funny. Maybe. I believe it is supposed to be a bit of a meditation on the qualities and ways of existing in the modern world. I actually think Ms. Smith did more meditating in her book than one Booker winner whose name I shall not mention...*cough*JulianBarnes*cough*...whoops. These parts are actually quite cleverly structured with a reveal at the end of each to put the part into context. Although perhaps guessable by those determined to ruin the element of surprise, these moments were quite pleasing.

Is the book worth a read? Perhaps. Is it worth the current (hardcover) price of admissions? Perhaps not. The moments of brilliance were not enough to save a very convoluted novel.