After the monastery scene, at the point of encounter between the father's servant and the middle son, the narrative engine kicks into high gear and doesn't stop until the end. Which ... makes it sounds as if I only care about plot... No, I just want to encourage people to read it. This is a novel of real, finely drawn characters, and ideas that are rarely considered today-- just cheapened to some UTube debate. Anywho, its a wonderful book.