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** spoiler alert ** What a fantastically strange book, like nothing else I've ever read. I don't think it's perfect by any means and the tone sometimes shifts much too abruptly and if I think too deeply on the why of certain plot points I can't come up with a particularly good reason for why the characters might have made certain choices (mark's involvement as a whole seems unnecessary to the scheme but without it we wouldn't have the novel at all) but it does several interesting things that make it especially memorable for me.

I think the most interesting and most important thing is that braunbeck goes out of his way to humanize these characters who have suffered so much. Often the trope is that those who suffer at the hands of a madman are broken, beaten, cowardly animals shivering in a corner and that is about as far as the characterization goes. And while that is certainly a thing that happens as a result of abuse, Braunbeck makes damn sure we remember that these are still people who long for normalcy and peace and sanity in spite of their inarguably horrifying existences. These characters are broken but they are far from cowards.

What's even more fascinating is that because of the strong characterization, Braunbeck even manages to inject some levity and oddly humorous scenes into the novel that would not be possible if this were a run of the mill work of genre fiction. It adds a really interesting dimension to it all and makes the perhaps inevitable and heartbreaking conclusion even more of a gut punch as a result.

A really startlingly good book that spins dozens of emotional dials masterfully. Looking forward to reading more of his work, for sure.