I loved Auerbach's first novel "Penpal" and was expecting something similar. This is not that, although you can see the common themes.

This is a slow-burn that keeps you asking yourself what the f* is going on. About 25% through, I thought I had guessed it. I was wrong, but frankly, my guess was more interesting than the actual reveal. Luckily, Auerbach's writing is very effective, so I never found it boring.

I do think it's too bad that details that were often introduced as if they were going to be meaningful turned out not to be, and that interesting threads that were opened went undeveloped. I believe Auerbach made the "Bad Man" world bigger than it need to be for the story he ended up telling.

But all in all, an enjoyable read, albeit with a slightly disappointing resolution.