It's hard to put into words what this book feels like when reading it that hasn't already been discussed in the afterword of the new edition.

The narrative simultaneously moves on ahead while also never progressing at all. We are shown great compassion alongside incomprehensible cruelty. There never seem to be any answers--only confusing contradictions.

And perhaps that's what being human is. We move forward, knowing all along that what waits for us is death. Some people spend their whole lives trying to make the world better and others do the opposite. Most are somewhere in the middle.

I think this book asks us to think about our humanity and what it means to us. To consider our actions in both macro and micro terms. It's a simple, yet difficult book. I enjoyed it and would like to read it again someday.