This was a reread for me and I listened to the audiobook. I would not recommending listening to the audiobook. It's narrated by a child and the childlike voice started grating after a while. Sometimes I had to turn it off just to give myself a break. I really enjoy this book, but the narrator is an incredibly sheltered five year old which does get annoying, although he is very well written. All the characters are and the plot moves slowly, but it's more of a character study than a plot driven story. I could see why people would get irritated by it, but it's a book I'll probably reread again in the future.