I got halfway through and couldn’t finish it. Parts I liked, especially for the writing, which was often sparse with carefully chosen words. However, it was hard to follow. Sometimes I wasn’t sure which character was being referred to. Pronouns often had no antecedents and sentences no subjects. Then it got sort of weirdly sexual. I’m not a prude, but some of the sexual references were just a little too weird for me. I don’t really care to read about a mid-30’s woman reminiscing about feeling a neglected 9-year-old’s erection against her leg while he was sleeping. It was also too scientific, such as being hard to follow explanations of scientific procedures and terms when the prose used to describe them is sparsely written. By page 197, I just didn’t care about the book nor what happens. The main character was likable but in need of therapy.

I saw the movie years ago. It was good. The book, however, drags on, seeming to take almost twice the time needed to tell the story. I gave it two stars because the writing was beautiful in some ways, but I just didn’t care about the story. I wanted to care. I tried, but halfway through a book I expect to at least give a damn. Unfortunately, I didn’t.