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Title: Flat and disappointing
Review: I had high hopes for this novel. I have long been a fan of Chaon's short stories. But somehow his first novel is not in the same realm.The book starts off very well, but soon devolves into a series of flat, disjointed snippets from various stages of the characters' lives. Unlike other readers, I am not at all put off by what some call "depressing" circumstances in a novel. Yet as I continued to read Chaon's book, I came to realize that I just didn't care about his characters. That's what bothered me the most. And for me, it was a struggle to continue reading about characters I don't care about. Your mileage may vary.
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