Intricate.

You get glimpses into the thought processes of all major—and some minor—characters, a thorough insight into culture, language, and the distinct differences between the ways Englishmen, Portuguese, and Japanese think—including the differing thought-processing of each in relation to the nuances of religious and nonreligious, seaman and landlubber, nobles and paupers represented by each culture. Which explains the exhaustive (ghastly) length of the novel.

But it is worth it— and this first part ends on a very satisfying high note...if you can put blinders on to shield your sixth-sense knowing and the glaring foreshadowing that beams in from every peripheral direction…