I am fascinated by Card's ability to keep me flipping pages well into the night. As a Mormon, I felt that he painted a very realistic, warts-and-all picture of life in a Mormon family. It turned out to be an ideal backdrop for this heart-rending story of a young boy under horrible stress. I don't normally read this type of novel, but rather followed the author from other genres- was truly satisfied with the result. Bravo! Highly recommended.