Dunno how I feel about this one. It seemed concerned with material beyond which it was actually concerned about.

I will say that what this book does well is explore family dynamics, relationships, and their interiority with the characteristic humanistic astuteness Darnielle is known for in his music.

The best and worst thing about it is the matter-of-fact prose he employs that downplays the more serious and unsettling things that are contained within. Honestly, when we started getting more removed from the central mystery and jumping across time, this was a solid 4-star read down to a 2. The last family did not interest me whatsoever. I wanted to think about Lisa and Jeremy and the further we got from them hurt the book.

On balance, its themes are subtle, lower key than anticipated: about navigating loss, about the importance of familial love, about possibilities and choice ...

It has depth but awful structure.