this is one of those times that a book cover doesn’t seem to match the tone or genre of the plot but i still read it in a day so perhaps that’s a good thing? i really liked that a middle aged unmarried and childless woman was the main character, & that she was an interesting person to follow around. it’s rare for me to read from such a unique & mature person so her personality & actions were very balanced which doesn’t happen a lot. the plot was mysterious enough to keep you turning the pages however I thought it did stray from the central mystery for the most part, resulting in a sad yet realistically expected outcome. 

now the big one… the ending. i think most people who know the final chapter of the book can agree with me that after such a light & delicate story handled with care, the last pages feel unnecessary & at most parts completely absurd. for me it seems to have tainted the whole concept of the book that i enjoyed, leaving a mess of unanswered questions. also, after reading some other reviews, I agree that the portrayal of mental illness & queer relationships could have been handled better. it was unfortunate that while the lesbian couple breaks apart because Martha is so toxic, Jean and Howard are a dream team straight couple that is shown as sympathetic. i don’t think queer relationships need always be healthy but it’s a shame that the characters get an unhappy ending from the romance itself being bad, not due to the external societal expectations. overall I’d recommend this book as an easy and interesting read, if you ignore the ending, though not one I could see myself re-reading.