I really enjoyed the book for about 300 pages and then found my interest wane as things became predictable and the carefully constructed universe was revealed to be something other than what I'd come to believe. It's a very good book, especially by a young debut writer - but it also has some gaping flaws (not unlike The Art of Fielding, although I'd argue that was a superior novel) that make it clear this is a first timer. Go get Dr. John's new album, wait for a muggy rainy thunderstormy day, and read this book: that's the atmosphere that serves (most of) it best and you can forgive just about everything else...More about it at Raging Biblioholism: http://wp.me/pGVzJ-mv
