This book is just so frustratingly close to perfect. It's very original, and the language is beautiful. I didn't have any trouble getting into it, contrary to what some other reviews say - it's a quiet, lovely read that's almost mesmerising. I was fully prepared to give it five stars.

And then I read the end.

I don't know. Perhaps Sonja is meant to be the note of discord, the piece that's out of place. And perhaps there's some musical tradition (I don't know, am not very musical myself) which has a giant long build-up and then concludes in a squashed, rushed little run of notes. But the ending let the whole thing down for me. Not the bittersweet nature of it, because I thought the reaction of the general population was spot-on, but... I don't know. It felt wrong to me, rushed and squashed, as I said. Which is a shame, as everything before the last 15-20 pages is wonderful.