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Jul 04, 2011
I found this book during a random search of the "O's" in the fiction section of the library. I'm ashamed to say I don't remember hearing of Stewart O'Nan until I picked this book up. It's not for everyone. It is Gothic with a capital "G", but if that's your shot of rot-gut, then this is a book for you. The writing is stupendous. This is the story of a Good Man (Jacob Hansen) caught in circumstances beyond his capacity to deal and the decisions he makes as a result. While this may be a familiar theme, this is far from a familiar story. It begins slowly but as events spiral out of control and Jacob begins to run faster and faster to try to stay ahead of things, the written picks up and the reader goes faster and faster, and eventually down, with him. When I turned the last page, the outcome seemed inevitable. Pretty close to perfect.