The novel starts with the return of a dead matriarch, but told in an everyday tone, as if this is nothing remarkable. This sets the tone for the rest of the book - by turns humdrum and fantastic. This is not one story but a number of stories interconnected in ways not immediately apparent. There are not only several stories, but many different voices and styles of narration, in a tone somewhat reminiscent of David Mitchell. This book includes both realistic and everyday events and fantastic and mythical occurrences - and everything in between. I enjoyed how the most disparate of themes joined together to make one whole book. If you are willing to suspend everything you know and understand about real life, you could really enjoy the trip this novel takes you on.