Title: Soap opera and nothing more
Product review: This book proved disappointing to me. It reeks more of primetime soap opera than any serious, searching literary effort. The props are all there - the father who ups and leaves, the mother who cracks up, the childhood rape by a neighbour, being a social outcast, an unhappy first marriage etc. There is no believable turning point in the novel, only a requisite happy ending tacked on four-fifths of the way through.Dolores as a character was difficult to sympathise with; she didn't become real for me. Her reasons for eating so much never became clear; how she lost that *amazing* amount of weight eventually didn't either.Ultimately, I think the reason why this falls short is because it's all melodrama and no insight. It brings nothing to light for the reader; I learnt nothing, discovered no new truth, did not stop to wonder at any turn of phrase or beautiful description.
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