I found myself fascinated by this book. In the beginning, I think it was due in part to the uniqueness of the storytelling, Oates's fragmented sentences and the strange separation between the characters and the narrative. It was more of a study in writing than an enjoyable book. But then when we were introduced to Cressida's past later in the book, I was utterly enthralled. While I didn't feel the writing style necessarily worked for the rest of the book, it was perfect for Cressida's character. At that point I felt addicted to the story and even when we returned to the other characters, I couldn't put this book down.

I don't know that I could recommend this to many (any) readers, as I found myself more fascinated by the structure than really enjoying the story, but I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying this book.