completely understand why this has such a low reading esp b/c it seems ppl are going into this expecting something entirely different. i certainly was. but what i found is something i enjoyed much more than the initial pitch, and something i can see myself returning to on occasion. there's some lovely turns of phrase here and several paragraphs i sent on to my wife (he enjoyed them as well!). the experience felt like watching a slightly high brow erotic thriller where you're not necessarily enjoying the experience the entire time, but you're certainly feeling something, and by the end you leave feeling a little hollowed out. aka a good time!