One of those books that could have been better than it was? Everyone's been on a date like that. Maybe you even go out with the person again, thinking they're ok, and the spark that's been missing will come alight, but it doesn't ? This is sort of like that but takes longer.

None of these characters are people you'd want to spend 5 min with so you feel a little cheated when you spend so much time reading about them.

The protagonist's interior voice and the narrative perspective on the protagonist's self-image feel at odds. The book also feels lost too far back in time, the contemporary scenes ring a bit false. Not sure why that is.

But, the audiobook kept me interested enough that I bought the kindle edition to finish when I knew I wouldn't have to be in my car for a while (which is where I usually listen to audio books). The voice acting was well done. But, the book had some awkward elements for audio - squeaks, and creaks, and tapping along of canes on flagstones etc. Easy enough to read but hard for voice actors to "speak" and not sound self-conscious or like they're "over playing" it? The book also had more than its share of similes. Similes aren't the natural thing for voice acting either, so that's a little awkward too.

Would I read something else by [a:Ruth Ware|9013543|Ruth Ware|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562697198p2/9013543.jpg]? Sure! She's got an unusual imagination.