When I read reviews characterizing Roy's writing style as "Faulknerian," I started to understand why this book has left me cold. The gothic "grotesqueness" of an infighting family (and society) combined with linguistic strangeness is just a couple of stylistic barriers too many. There are also times when Roy's handling of exposition irks me, like the way she summarizes important events through narration instead of letting them play out as scenes. In terms of politics, insight, and vision there are a lot of things I admire, and I can understand why this book would mean so much to other people. But I found myself distinguishing between admiration and true affection as I read on.