The plot is done well, it is well written, and the characters have that reverse development. The size of the book was perfect for what this was. Any more, I would have rated less because it did not need more. This was not a page turner for me. I had to sit and read and reread. Understand the person in Odilo’s head and the person of Odilo.

However, this book was wild. Just the concept of understanding a person’s life backwards from the point of view of forwards was insane. How your poop went into you and you vomited food and took that food to the store for money before putting it on the shelf. Everything was backward. Just this concept was a thrill to be a part of the journey.

And the person inside Odilo who lived there and was trying to understand everything from his death to his birth. You get a good idea of the character of him. That he might have been a good person had he had his own body.

But then you understand Odilo and his nightmares. His fears. Why he prefers a larger woman, of Irene.

I had hoped Odilo, Hamilton, John, Tod, that he’d have been a good person. He was terrible, and yet had kind moments in the beginning (his older age). And looking back to the end (his childhood), I tried to find when it started. When that change took place from innocence. Was it his father hitting him or his friends in college and the environment he grew up in? How his treatment of his wife was worse after he married her. The camp. Even Rosa.

I’m glad I read this book. It’s definitely one that will have me thinking about it for a long time.