I am hesitant to say this, but I really disliked this book. The squalor, the suffering, I suppose it is all done very realistically, but maybe too realistically for me, or too relentlessly. And the heavy-handed alliteration continuing constantly, created consternation for me. And yet this is John Updike! I am so ashamed. But still, it is only the reputation of the author that made me give two stars; frankly, at this point, I wish I could un-read it.
