Devastating. I honestly did not have a clue where this story was heading for, well, most of the book, and that is rare in my experience. A dreamy, deliberately paced novel that is part coming of age story, part Cold War polemic, with war crimes, Acadien French, Bugs Bunny and loyal dogs thrown in for good measure. The opening sets up an almost excruciating sense of foreboding, which is not realized until well past halfway into this long book. I actually found myself crying for a fictional character's fall, and found solace in that fact that he was an invention.

Then I found out that the story was inspired in part by a true story in Canada's history (don't read about it before you read this book), and that broke my heart more.