I can't do it. I'm 255 pages in and therefore feel entitled to say I've "read" it but I can't take any more. After reading a couple of reviews that reinforce my growing suspicion that it doesn't get better, I'm quitting which I rarely do. I don't like the characters, the plot is dumb, the writing style confuses and annoys me, and the time it will take to slog through the remaining 215 pages is more than I'm willing to sacrifice. There are too many good books in the world to waste my imagination and time. In fact, I'm not even going to put this back on the "take one/leave one" used bookshelf at work where I got it, to spare some other unsuspecting bibliophile the agony I've endured for the last 255 pages.