This is one rollicking, rambunctious ride of a novel, flawed but crazily gifted.  If you are a sucker (like myself) for similes and metaphors of the highest caliber, and you like family dramadies about redemption that are not treacle or clichd, you will appreciate this invigorating, muscular-worded novel. It does suffer sometimes from too much hi-jinx all squeezed together and too much overstuffed characterizations (think John Irving on steroids), but there is much to enjoy about this book.