A novel that often reads more like a collection of related stories than a unified novel. While the entirety of the novel deals with the narrator's investigation of her Grandfather's life and death, it takes a good long while to see how all the pieces fit into place. It's really not until the last 20 pages or so when everything starts to come together. What makes the novel worth a read is the quality of Obreht's prose. All the praise that she's been given is well-deserved. I said the novel felt like a collection of short stories, but a couple of those little "stories" are magnificent. The villagers hunting the tiger and the story of the narrator and a friend trying to smuggle contraband skulls across the border are downright perfect. I really look forward to reading whatever Obreht produces in the future.