I started reading this with hopes that it wouldn't grab my attention in quite the way it did (I'm trying to prepare for my Area Exam and reading for pleasure isn't helping!). Wallace is an outstanding writer, and this, his first novel, is great. His writing is like cross-country travel — the ultimate destination isn't the main focus, but rather the concentration is on enjoying the scenery and local color along the way.

I was a bit frustrated by the ending, but the other merits of the novel outweigh that minor "flaw".