I liked the beginning of this book when the guy is in high school but then it went nowhere. The bulk of the book was the guy now retired, thinking over his life, mainly of his ex-girlfriend. It was too ruminative. I kept reading to find out about what was said in his friend's diary, and then when things were revealed at the end, I was disappointed. Annoying too, because the ex-girlfriend just kept saying to him, "you just don't get it." She said this three or four times instead of explaining the situation. Not very satisfying for the reader.