I read the last page of this book tonight and closed the cover with a big sigh. I felt a bit saddened by finishing it. Saddened because I had reached the end of a great story. Sure the whole basis for this story is frightfully horrifying and , if real would have been a "chilling childhood" as O magazine states. What I loved about this book was ....pretty much everything. I loved it's creativeness, I loved how it did not make light of a scary and vulnerable position, and yet had some great funny scenes in it. Many of the characters are down right wacky, and some took themselves way too serious and yet they all get along.

In the creative vein I would like to give Mr.Ruff many kudos for taking on this topic, he did it very well. At first, when I thought about reading it I felt that shifting from personality to personality (with two of the main characters) would make it very hard to keep up, then it would just be a 500 page wasps nest of confusion and frustration. Not so at all, the way Ruff writes makes it easy to follow who is where and at what time. There are times when he does go back and clarify from different angles/personalities but none of them seem contrived. Next, the characters are all a joy to get to know. Most of them are quite quirky but , hey some of the best of us are. From foul mouthed chain smoking Maledicta to the hormone infused Adam, the very "friendly" Loins to the romantic artist Aunt Sam every one of them is endearing in one way or another. Then there are those who you are not supposed to like, and trust me , you don't .

I have stated many times before that I love a book that has characters you take with you long after you close the cover. A book that you just feel is begging to be made into a movie because that is how it played out in your head.This is one of those books, which is why , I suppose I hated to see it end. And by hated, I mean I was very tempted to start over again the minute I finished, just so I could spend a bit more time with these creations. This is the second book I have read by this author. I know of only two more, rest assured I will be reading them as well.

Here is what the Portland Oregonian had to say about this book:
In this complex coming of age story with an emotional resonance that reaches far beyond the deeply troubled psyches he's exploring, Ruff has pulled off his neatest narrative trick of all.........as addictive as any recent thriller. Wise and true words all.