I was intially very intimidated by this book because of the literary and cultural references. I thought it might be out of my reach but after the second chapter I realized that was far from the truth. It uses intellect as a means of poking fun at super-intellectuals and illustrating how some use it to shield themselves from potentially uncomfortable situations (imagine Blue Van Meer - the main character - at age eight on her first day in a new school reading Mein Kampf while the other children play and chatter around her).

The story is actually a whodunnit that is unique, funny, smart and very touching at times. The men in my book club didn't hate it but weren't as excited about it as the women were. They describe it a "chick book." I respectfully disagree with their characterization of the book but, because the men I know have all expressed this opinion, it would be remiss of me not to mention it to anyone who is considering it as a book club pick.