This book is almost impossible to put down...I admit I read till late in the night, my eyes burning, wanting to go to sleep but just having to read one more chapter. However, the ending was just a bit too sudden for me. Perhaps I am a jaded reader, but I was not shocked or surprised by the climax, just disapointed that it just ended in what some readers may find a Shocking twist. If you have not read "We need to talk about Kevin", I recommend that novel much more as both novels are similar in respect to the possibility of evil hiding behind the mask of a child, yet Kevin is a much more terrifying and disturbing read with a truly shocking twist as well...but with a sense of hope added.