This came across to me like a mash up of Running With Scissors and The Great Gatsby. Weird and emotionally unavailable characters - to each other as well as the reader. Even though I enjoyed the aforementioned books, I just really didn't care about anyone in this novel. The beginning is promising, with what seems will be a murder-mystery plot. However, that doesn't really get addressed until the last tenth of the book in a convoluted way. At several points I thought, eff this book - I'm gonna stop reading. But it was short enough to muddle through. I know lots of people found this to be a triumph, but I think they are the same people that love Donna Tartt. So, if that's you - read Life Among Giants!