Wow. Huh. I waited for this book for years, finished it in about a day, and now I'm unsure what to say about it.

I guess first: Does this live up to volume 1? Not quite, but I think it might be unfair to ask it to do so. Volume 1 is an undeniable masterpiece. It's transcendent. To me, it seems like a work of luck and magic that it even exists.

Second: Does Volume 2 answer big questions from Volume 1? Some of them, kinda? But anything resembling an answer leads to more questions. There's a sense of unreliability throughout the text--Karen frequently tells us that she'll "tell more about that later" and then never does--and a lot happening off the page. Sometimes that's really effective, sometimes less so.

There are elements of Volume 2 that feel underbaked to me, particularly Karen's friendships. But when Ferris digs deeper into the setting and cast of characters populating the criminal underworld surrounding Karen, that's when I think this book shines.

As with Volume 1, I was left with a pervasive feeling of "what the fuck was that?" after the final sequence. I guess I'll settle in to wait--hopefully for fewer than what, seven years?--for more.