What worked for me

1 - Language and narration – Both terrific. Stein writes intelligent and evocative prose that hooks you right in. There are no unnecessary ramblings and the multiple narrative tools (dreams and letters aside from the narrator) do much to ease your reading experience. There’s no trouble being engrossed.


2 - Characterization – Trevor was delightfully reasonable amidst the horde of teenage boy characters being portrayed as souls in the singular pursuit of achieving an erection. Trevor likes to play detective and he is smart enough to snoop around and piece things together. A huge plus. The other characters fill in as required. They are quite fixed in their roles but their dimensionality does not affect the genre framework so no issues there. (I’ll pick a bone later around this.*)
3 - Logic, Pacing and Ending – The plot flows neatly from start to end with the various points of view accounted for satisfactorily. There was one shocking element in the climax that added to the overall effect and sealed the deal. Good job!

What did not work for me


1 - Serena* – Why did Serena have to be portrayed as an incestuous personality? Wasn't she already effective in her diabolical, manipulative role? It would've still worked if she had been one of those relatives who take to extreme measures to ensure they get what they want. Murderous, I could've handled. But incestuous? Hmmm…


2 - Trevor being a little too mature – At times, when the narrative gets going, you forget that the older Trevor is telling you the story. A few minor details don’t sit well in that aspect. For example, at one point he says he has read enough Kafka to understand the goings-on. Fourteen-year-olds drunk on Kafka? Stein does have him dismissing his speculations now and then reasoning that he is just a kid and he doesn't have the life experience to understand the situation – the equilibrium isn't quite achieved. But, minor thorn really.