Most characters were very boring.Characters introduced, not developed,then dropped. Like the narrator's friend who moved never to be seen again. As I recall people generally kept in touch with letters in those days even children.Are we to believe that after years of abject isolutionism somehow the U.S. enters WWII quickly at the end of the book and the war ends right on schedule in 1945. It's as if Roth got really sick of working on this project and said to himself "that's good enough, people will buy it."