Romance? Did I just read romance? Well, to be fair, I did want to broaden my boundaries and not be stuck in any sort of lit rut, and then I read lit rutting. 
 Honestly, I liked this book. It had story, deep emotions, a history and a future. So what if I sometimes have a hard time swallowing how completely some characters can ignore all of their best interests, it's not me, but who's to say its not a significant portion of the rest of the world? I read primarily science fiction and fantasy. If I can't put aside my disbelief for a novel like this, then how in the hell could I get through practically everything I've read? 
 Because it's people. All their messed up living and loving has a common background, and if you mess with that, you mess with everything that makes a good novel a good novel. Fortunately, I was moved by this novel. It tooks some time and it sure didn't hit until near the end when we finally got our big reveals, but I was moved. 
 I can't even rightly call this a romance novel, despite the obvious bits. I'm just going to call this a delightful tale with some wisdom sprinkled in, and call it a day.