There were aspects of this book that hooked me, but I was irritated almost the entire time I was reading it. Here's why:

• It's not big on sympathetic characters: the son is a sociopath, the mom needs a spine, and the dad is a chauvinistic douche.

• The author - in an attempt to create tension, I suppose - lets you know out of the gates that there was a horrific school shooting, but then backtracks to tell the life of the mother before the shooter was even born. While I get that she's trying to share the backstory that led to the events, it felt like the equivalent of having your aunt say, "Did you know your 15 year old cousin is pregnant by her geometry teacher?" then proceeding to tell you about everyone's "kinfolk." Sorry, but it's just bad story telling to string someone along with backstory when you've trotted out something that has more immediate questions that need to get answered.

I'd started this book once before and shelved it. This time I persevered, and though I completed it, I found myself wondering why I'd wasted time on it twice.