This book is full of detail and description, but is somehow still flat and unsatisfying. It comes across as a fantasy view of small town life--which I don't think was intentional. The characters are varied and posessing a variety of personal problems, but the edges are all rounded and comfortable. There are obvious attempts at being quirky and keeping loose ends from being neatly trimmed, both of which get in the way of the story. I found myself thinking "I expect such and such to happen, but I know it won't because the author doesn't want to be predicatable." In the end, very light and forgettable.