Ok, I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, which is actually a pretty good rating either way for me. But, due to the fact that Mr. Conroy has written a book over 650 pages and it felt like only 300, I give it 5 stars. Well, until the end, which I was just waiting for the "thing" to happen (no spoilers), even though we all knew what the outcome would be. The writing was a perfect blend of description without be wordy. If any English teacher has a figurative language assignment, this would be the book for you to assign. Except, of course, for that other "thing" that was very graphic in nature, akin to Girl with a Dragon Tattoo.
For those of us who haven't read the book or watched the movie (which I won't), it is basically this: a messed up family of three kids (boy/girl twins and a brother 1 year older) and parents who are not happy with each other or with life, and they take it out on their kiddos. But there was also love between them, so I have mixed emotions on that one. At any rate, the sister is a famous poet who has tried to commit suicide. Tom, her brother, has come to New York to visit. He stops off at the psychiatrist's office to help her treat his sister by filling in stories of growing, and the healing for him begins as well. The book oscillates between the current time and the stories here and there about growing up. Some are humorous, and some are gritty. But I found it all entirely enthralling.