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Title: Great style, interesting characters, but what's the point?
Review: Wolfe's innovative descriptions of the '80s New York culture is the strength of this novel, yet is not enough to excuse the completely disappointing epilogue. Apparently pulled from another story, this ending contradicts all evidence and character development that 99% of the wordage strove to build. Attempts at making a statement about racism, politics, and justice is thrown out in leiu of a disappointing synopsis that downplays every sympathetic character while the story's villians prosper against all reason. The epilogue offers no resolution, and thus, makes no statement. Imagine sitting through every day of the O.J. Simpson trial and being deprived of a verdict. Fortunately, Wolfe's style makes the bulk of the reading easy enough to digest, but in the end you have to wonder why this book was ever written.
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