After some trepidation because of the very strong language and tricky subject matter this book was chosen for our book club to review and it proved to be an extremely good choice – although it divided opinion it also provided an enormous amount for discussion. One thing we were all agreed on was the strength of the writing both in style and substance.
Most of us found the different characters hard to identify at first and perhaps a family tree at the front of the book may have been helpful here. However, those who prefer character driven books found it extremely interesting whereas those preferring plot driven were left wanting. We all agreed that the characters were extremely well drawn (all with their own peculiarities and idiosyncracies) and also that we have our own strangeness – some more than others!
This was a marmite book but well worth trying and certainly well worth reading as a book club pick. We gave it a 6 out of 10.