I enjoyed reading this, but the ending didn't quite work for me. On the one hand, from a literary perspective, it worked really well. All of these plot threads incidentaly intersect with each other, and then go off in their own directions. I have images of birds or trains or traffic flying in from all directions, getting caught briefly in some vortex or whirlpool, and then continuing off on their own distinct trajectories, possibly offset from the original path because of the whirling influence of the other birds/trains/cars. The book is just the vortex whirlpool when the paths cross, but the rest of the characters lives happen too. The 'where aer they next' had a real feel of verisimilitude to it. I absolutely believe that, in the real world, those epilogue vignettes would have happened as described. But I don't read books for verisimilitude. Tell me a fairy story! Wrap up the plot threads in a satisfying way.