The ‘mind blowing’ ending is the constant refrain I see when people talk about this doorstop of a book. On one hand, I agree about the stunning conclusion. But it also left me feeling completely ill at ease. Yes, it is slightly ambiguous, but not hard to fill in the blanks on the fate of the cursed Barnes family. My disappointment stems from so much dread that built up from the jump, through nearly 700 pages, without some feeling of closure! It just gave me so much anxiety. Which, bravo to Paul Murray - as I believe that was exactly his intent in weaving together such a brilliant tale. But I feel as if I needed to go for a run afterwards and ‘close the stress cycle’ or something!
I did become quickly invested in each of the characters within the first two thirds of the novel. Each of the family members is given their point of view with such rich inner lives, and I love that type of narrative - when the perspective shifts, and you learn, sometimes jaw-dropping, context for what one of the other characters is observing or experiencing. I just don’t know if I could say ‘wow I loved this book’ even though it was captivating.
Also I cannot believe that the publisher used the term ‘irresistibly funny’ as one of the first descriptors of this book. I could not imagine using those words in my review. Not one second of this book was funny. it is one of the darkest books I have read in a long, long time. So be forewarned.