I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to see just how dreadfully plodding it could become. The story could have been told in 3 chapters. What a relief when the end was reached. Fantasy should have a sense of underlying reality to make it work, but this was just drudgery and off putting as another continuing revelation of supposed southern decay and depravity. Reading this book is good for those who are masochistic and want to see just how much mind numbing drivel they can put up with.The book is so bad that it will surely become a literary classic due to way art is appreciated in this day and age.