I think Michael Farris Smith did an excellent job with certain aspects of this book. The character development is fantastic and I feel like I really got insight into their motivations and personalities. The protagonists are flawed and very real which I found refreshing. The setting of the book is vividly described so I felt like I was getting to know this area of Mississippi as I read. While I enjoyed reading this book, I was not blown away by it. In my opinion, it's a very well written story but nothing so unique that I would rate it higher than 3 stars. However, many reviewers are raving about this book so if it sounds interesting to you, definitely give it a try!