Great writing, depressing characters, and a pretty tough take on small town life. This novel starts with one character and then expands to envelop many of the residents of the small town of Goodnight. And quickly it is clear to the reader that almost everyone is unhappy.
Sure, they seem happy on the outside, but we soon see that they are living flawed lives. To me I felt like a lot of these situations could have been remedied by a little honest conversation, but I suppose that doesn’t make for dramatic reading.
I really did like the writing style of the author – he sped up and slowed down events at just the right time to keep you curious and engaged. Most of the characters are reflective and dealing with troubles buried deep within themselves, but the writing carries a lot of weight and makes the exposition more interesting and sometimes poetic.
My two favorite characters are the only two who seem like they are actually happy – Meteor and Arturo – but they are minor characters and are already sort of separated from the “normal” residents of Goodnight.
A pretty good novel, just a little depressing is all. Next I am working through more of the James Bond book – we had a movie marathon last weekend and I have to catch up!
