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Title: Nice descriptions of places, but characters are stilted
Review: I read the author's book "Reservation Road" and was blown away by it. This book was a big disappointment and I had to force myself to complete it. Having spent some time living in Japan, I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life, which are vivid. However, the characters seem to be pieces on a game board who are moved around artificially without motivations that ring true. Alternately the main character is thuddingly dull, or maddeningly self-involved. The characters around him are all very one-note, particularly the young women who seem to exist only for his pleasure. Read "Reservation Road," which is outstanding, and avoid this earlier effort at all costs.
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