I had no expectations for this book and I think that’s the right way to approach it. I’d seen that it received some good press and it was available at the library so I dove in.

What an outrageously good surprise. This is kind of a crime thriller, but way smarter. The author uses the shifting-viewpoint narrative style, but in a very unique way. Not only are the characters fleshed out to a degree that Franzen would appreciate, the narratives overlap and intersect in very novel ways. I was completely captivated by this.

To call it a thriller is underselling it, I think. It’s kind of several interlocking character studies, some political philosophy and cultural criticism, and a tense cat-and-mouse story full of believable and shocking twists.