Relentlessly downbeat throughout this is a well-written book without a gleam of sunshine. The main character refused to come into focus and although the portrait of the failed businessman rang chillingly true, his weakness was also unrelenting. Even off stage characters like the deceased father were seriously flawed with irrevocable consequences.
I lent the book out to a friend after reading it and they thought that there are no winners only losers in this novel, and I found some of it quite bleak. That said, the characters are well portrayed and, after a shaky start when I struggled to identify with the upper-middle-class lifestyle, I eventually found it a hard book to put down. Not as good as the first novel with its warm and colorful Californian backdrop, but still a very good read.
I lent the book out to a friend after reading it and they thought that there are no winners only losers in this novel, and I found some of it quite bleak. That said, the characters are well portrayed and, after a shaky start when I struggled to identify with the upper-middle-class lifestyle, I eventually found it a hard book to put down. Not as good as the first novel with its warm and colorful Californian backdrop, but still a very good read.