Ridiculous pacing, interesting characters, vivid landscape, A+. I think what I love about Mandel's novels is that she is so clearly from a sprawling, expansive place. The omnipresence of the road and its temptations, its anonymity, its sort of tyranny, is amazing. It's so American (in the geographical sense), so culturally impactful. She has insight into how that shapes lives and I admire how she creates with it.