I liked the twist of the book even more than the tropes (which the author seems to use with delight in the first part of the novel). I tried to guess what the monstrous was, like our heroine, and failed just as miserably. I think it would easily hold up to a reread, though plenty is explained in the ending. I didn't like some scenes at the end, when

Noemi couldn't tell dreams from reality from the gloom, especially when it involved Virgil,

but it certainly added to the nightmarish charm of the novel. It's very picturesque - it could easily make a good film, but it could also be a very bad film in the wrong hands. Certainly the only book where

mushrooms

matched the same terror I held when I watched

nature documentaries about fungi controlling insects. I also, for one, don't think it is completely gone, given Francis' knowledge of the cousins' conversation when he was asleep.