The themes in this book are pretty heavy; though I didn't realize it until about halfway through. Smiley writes eloquently, though there were some twists near the end that didn't seem realistic given all the realism of the rest of the book. It's interesting how you come to like these characters, but then Smiley unveils more and more about their past and their present and you almost feel betrayed. A good read that kept me interested when I didn't think a farm-family book could.