I'll begin by saying that it might not have been the right time for me to be reading this unique novel. I tend not to like fiction that is too calculated and deliberate in its storyline and characters. These intellectual exercises in literature are designed to engage the reader in a hunt for meaning and metaphor, but, as in this case, they feel rigged to me. This story comes from the head, not from the heart, and not from the gut, or even from the wisdom of experience. It's a mindgame, and I just wasn't in the mood to play.