At times I grew impatient with the narrator, who seemed impossibly dense and unnaturally withholding while relating his story. I suspected the author of overusing the fog of memory and inaccuracies of self-image to build tension. By the end, though, I'd switched to being thankful for the exaggeration of these things. It forced me to contemplate them, and ultimately admit most people, including myself, are capable of absurd denials when it comes to the matters closest to us. To an orphan, one's parents would certainly represent a most difficult reality to grasp clearly. Letting go of dearly held conceptions to make room for something new does make for a good story that ultimately rings true.