There are parts of this story that are more interesting than others. The parts I found most compelling were the scenes focusing on Dodo and Monkey Pants together (the chapter "The Marble" was incredible, the best part of the book for me) and the water-to-the-mikvah storyline, once it got going. There was a lot going on and it took a while for me to get into it. Still, I think it did a good job showcasing this community and the relationships within it. Some funny, so heartfelt, some really sad moments. What pulled me out was the large number of tangents, sometimes overwhelming amount of characters and lack of setting (for a book that focuses on the town itself so much)

I really enjoyed the themes throughout about support, community, and grief. McBride did an excellent job of showing our innate need for connections with others. This is a very easy story to connect to your own life, your own human-ness, that I thought was special