I was instantly drawn into this book. The conventions she used to entice the reader certainly worked for me. Loved the moodiness and depth of the characters, as well as their idiosyncracies. As jarring as some elements of the story were, I thought the author made her case very well. Her resolution of the conflict at the heart of this story made for a more satisfactory conclusion than if the characters had acted more conventionally. She bashed her way through the metaphysical question of intrinsic value of objects, objects relative to human beings, and the value of life itself: yours, mine, and ours.