I grabbed a whole list of book recommendations from some friends, and put them on suspended hold at the library. The plan is to unsuspend one each time I go. So I’ll probably be reading a lot of books that surprise me in the next few weeks.

The weirdest thing about this is that it seems like it shouldn’t be enjoyable – there’s no action. None. Some is implied, so happens offstage, a lot happens in the past. But none happens in the book. Yet it is slowly gripping… I read the last 150 pages in one sitting, the last 30 in haste, saying “pleeeease end the way I want you to!”

It’s really well written. The characters are a little unpredictable because they have depth and are the sum of more experiences than you can put into even a large book. Everything fits together beautifully. Early parts that seem to be unrelated to the central thread get pulled back in. The way things are phrased gives beautiful foreshadowing. It’s almost a character study, with all the leadup being hints as to the motivations of each actor. Things change suddenly, and you are outwardly surprised, but reflectively realize it makes sense when you add up the little hints – which is exactly how the main character feels, so it makes you identify with him more.

When I complain about books it’s usually because of unlikeable (or far too stupid) characters and predictable plots. This had neither. Maybe it really is that liking the book is the default state, and it has to betray that to make itself unenjoyable.

But really, if you have characters you want to root for, and you’re kept wanting to know “what happens next?” .... sounds like a good recipe to me.