I picked up this book because it appeared on a list in The Washington Post of best books that had been recently translated into English. It is in a genre, however, that I don't usually read (horror). So while the technical skill and erudition of the author is obvious, I'm not sure that I was the right target audience for this book. There were some parts that I found compelling, particularly scenes that intermixed a character's present and past interactions with other characters -- it struck me as wholly consonant with the thoughts swirling through one's mind when confronted by people with whom one has had complex or difficult interactions. I am definitely glad that I read it, and the translation is impressive, but someone more interested in horror may find this more to their liking than I did.