I'm pretty sure I finished this book out of spite because it was written in such an annoying hoity-toity, esoteric fashion that you had to have all this specialized knowledge to understand so much of who and what the author was referring to. I do not appreciate this style of writing at all, and yes, I know this is considered a classic. Don't come at me. I understand that the processes the characters were going through corresponded the 9 Disciplines of Jewish Kabbalah. I'm still not impressed.