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What did I think? I finally finished reading this book hours ago and my head is still spinning. As I turned the last page I remember thinking, this is unreviewable, or at the very least unrateable. I'll try to articulate some thoughts - that will be the review - then at the end I'll see if I can come up with a number.

Firstly, I have to put it out there - this is the highest of high-concept books I think I have ever read. 5+�� for that. I was so excited to collect it from the library, along with all the warnings and instructions on how to manage the 29 or so inserts the book contains. I handled them reverently throughout the entire reading period, and am happy to say they will be returned in the right places and in as good condition as they were loaned. Along with the extensive margin notes, these are what makes S. such a unique reading experience.

Which brings me to my next point. Once I had the book in my hands, I faced an unexpected dilemma. How do I approach this? How do I read this? Luckily there is an army of readers completely besotted with this book, who are willing to advise on this very issue. You don't even have to leave ŷ������ to get it (although you can - there are plenty of forums and blogs if you need to go further). So I did my research and what I came away with is that if you have the time and the patience, you would read this 457p book 4-6 times. That is, you would take between 4 and 6 passes at it, in order to get the full chronological effect of how the story unfolds. The number is rubbery because there are opportunities to streamline/consolidate the process if you wish. First pass is 'the book' - the actual story of S, as set out in the traditional, typefaced pages of the book, including footnotes. Second pass would be the margin notes made by Eric, the solitary scholar. Third, the initial to-and-fro margin notes of Eric and Jen. Fourth, the later margin notes of Eric and Jen, as the world around them begins to get a little creepy and paranoia sets in. Fifth - etc, etc. You can easily use the colours of the margin notes to distinguish which era they are meant to belong to. Then of course there are the inserts. For those, you just take the clues from the margin notes, as to when they fit into the story.

Sorry, that was a little long-winded.

Not having the time nor the patience for all that, I effectively read it twice. I would read - by chapter or section - the 'story of S', then go back and read the corresponding margin notes and inserts. I tried to organise the reading of the margin notes according to the colours, but this wasn't always possible. In the end, I think that by taking this shortcut I probably missed quite a lot of the chronological nuances, and consequently there were times I wasn't really sure what was going on. I'm thinking maybe about 4�� for the reading process, which was clearly very active. Oh, and this explains why I had to do so many status updates - so I could remember where I was up to, as my bookmark often was not reliable enough on its own.

Now to the story. I generally love a dual narrative structure, but this example is a little bit different. Although the two narratives do have an obvious connection, its not a connection in the usual sense. I preferred the story of Eric and Jen (in the margins) to the story of S (in the book). In fact, if it was just the story of S, it's not the sort of thing I would normally read. I did appreciate how each chapter of the story of S ended in a bit of a cliffhanger though, which kept it interesting. All in all, I think maybe 3�� for the story.

Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely. This is the perfect book for a buddy-read because there's so much to discuss and theories and ideas that need to be aired. Or even just for readers who are looking for something a bit different. Maybe for people who are a bit 'off' reading, and need something to reignite their interest.

Overall I'm giving it 3.5��