SAGN's story unfolds confusingly, and almost makes you put down the book and forget anything ever happened. The woman is a bit more shallowly drawn than the men, remaining too angelic, without the gritty depth given to the rest of the Stamper household. Some of the many subplots could have been dispensed with. Weaknesses there are and are inevitable in a book this huge. A 'camera' that swings around and in and out and under. The effect is almost a 360 degree look at the people, their town, their world. because he knows exactly what he's doing and why. What he does with point-of-view could be the basis of an entire creative writing classs. The tension rises palpably however, and the climactic scenes are not to be forgotten. The characters are developed lovingly, with splendid detail and absolutely no hurry. Kesey puts you in the landscape so thoroughly that even those of us in drier climes almost feel the rain running down the back of our necks. I like novels that aim high and strive for greatness and this is such a book.
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