there are books that i can’t rightly describe as ‘a mystery’ because they don’t contain one all consuming mystery. this book combines a whole host of mysteries. there are little details all the way through that make you wonder and you’re not quite sure if they are just there for background scenery or if they are going to turn out to have a bearing on the main plot.

this means that the book is like a crescendo. at the beginning it’s an interesting enough read but the lack of a central pivot point means that it’s put downable. in the middle it gets louder and the significance of various happenings starts to dawn on the reader. i haven’t finished it up yet to decide whether my analogy is still going at the end point.

the only thing that’s disappointing me is that i’m feeling that the ending is being foreshadowed, that whatever happens on the final pages is going to either reflect or parallel previous events that have been reported in the book. i don’t know which way the final battle is going to go but i suspect it will happen. i’ll have to wait and see…

…and i was actually really pleased in the ending. the conclusion i thought was inevitable didn’t happen, a conclusion that was apt did happen and i didn’t feel cheated by it. a lot of positive things happend in the last few chapters and i felt happy to leave the characters to the rest of their lives. quite an acheivement. a really good book.