Reminded me of John Irving's quiet moments -- the delicate melancholy, the voice within. The Hamlet parallels are not at all subtly done, and I suspect I would have enjoyed the book more had they not been so unambiguous. There's something profoundly calming & "inner" about this book, so much so that the ending comes as a bit of a sharp shock, even knowing it's coming. Paced very slowly, very quietly, and yet I found it deeply compelling -- I hardly put it down for two days.