I am a big fan of Ha Jin - in fact, "Waiting" is one of my all-time favorites. I very much wanted to like this novel - certainly more than 2 stars worth. But I found it lacking in some key areas. First, it reads much more like an historical account than a novel. For such gut-wrenching trageday, the narrative was flat and at times, almost emotionless. I never bonded with any of the characters. They seemed flat and under-developed. The dialogue sometimes seemed completely out of synch with the situation - an almost cold, flippant comment in the midst of great emotional upheaval. Very interesting and informative, but minus engaging characters and substantive intrigue.