I picked up The Slap at Kinokuniya on somewhat of a whim. I want to watch the TV series at some point, but have heard some great reviews for the book, so even though I am mid Wolf Hall, couldn't resist picking it up.

And oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. From the moment I started reading it, it enveloped me. I've read books with "better" writing, but I don't think I've read anything that was quite so intoxicating, quite so all encompassing - it was like a drug, every time I was forced to put it down, I was already in my head planning when I would be able to get my next fix. So maybe I haven't read that much which is better written. All I know is that it's been a helluva ride for the last forty eight hours.

In any case, it's not pretty, it's coarse, it's crude, and at times it's damn unpleasant. But it's real, it's so real, and all of its cast would play nice at *your* family barbecue. When it comes down to it, who knows how anyone will react under pressure? And who knows what's really behind anyone's actions? Those are the two questions that this book asks so brutally.

You'll laugh, you'll swear, and maybe you'll cry. But god, you won't willingly put it down until it's over.