** spoiler alert ** 
 Did not live up to the hype or my expectations base on the Corrections. 
 Basically revolving around dysfunctional family relationships - with the ecological, human overpopulation subplot 
 Felt characters in many cases were fairly one dimensional - even some of the primary ones 
 Walter and Patty Berlund (whose therapist suggested autobiography 'Mistakes were Made' makes up mush of the first half of the book) are the most fully fleshed - but even then can't quite identify with them within the plot 
 Their children, Joey and Jessica are almost incidental except in how they relate to their parents and how each generation rebels against primary values of the previous one - e.g. Joey's republican tendencies and his relationship with Connie 
 Joey's friend and his sister, Jonathon and Jenna provide an interesting sideline on Joey - and an opportunity to have more child character names beginning with 'J' 
 Patty's bio - high school basketball, rape, her fractious relationship with parents more interested in artistic siblings felt overlong. Eliza relationship seemed an irrelevant sideline, 
 Development of Walter, Patty, Richard Katz triangle most interesting - does Walter end up with issues with all katz! 
 Death in crash of Walters subsequent lover, Lalitha, felt forced to me. 
 The final neat wrap just to trite. Reunited Walter and Patty, reconciled with kids and Nameless lake neighbours and Richard we can infer, nameless lake house to be bird sanctuary - all now have freedom to move on