Title: interesting idea, poor writing
Review: I picked this up for the intriguing premise. But the book hardly lived up to its potential. The writing was rambling, full of philosophic cliches and preachy moments that made it hard to get into. The author also seemed to be throwing in far too many subplots; for instance, the brother's arsonist escapades distracted from the real story. Many characters were quite one-dimensional - the mother's single-minded devotion to Kate might have made her a good villain, but surely not a very realistic character. I was especially disappointed by the girls' characters. After reading the book description, I expected Anna to be a strong teenage girl character (always fascinating to read about.) But in this story she's nothing more than a pawn in this philosophical exercise. All in all, a less-than-worthwhile read.
Is this product review negative?