After I finished this very complicated story, struggling to figure out the order of events, I found that I had missed this "Author's Note" at the beginning: "The odd numbered chapters in this novel are set mainly in the years 1983-1984. The even numbered chapters are set in the last two weeks of June 1996." That would have been a big help!

Actually I think I did pretty well given that the author thought it necessary to include that note. There was really only one event that I had trouble placing in time. As you've probably gathered, the story is somewhat of a puzzle, although a fun one. It's one of those books that, after finishing, you have the vague feeling you should have read it more carefully. You're thinking, "Why wasn't I paying more attention when that [seemingly inconsequential event] happened?" You'd like to read it again to understand the story better, but it's too long for that.

I wouldn't call it "funny" or "droll" (as one of the cover blurbs states). I did laugh, but overall it's more like "wacky". It has odd characters, strange situations and a sweet, if unusual, love story. And don't ask me exactly what I mean by this, but it's quite "British". On the down side, I think Adam would say there were several incidents described at length that didn't do anything to propel the narrative and at least one minor character the author invented simply to stitch part of the puzzle together.