As was previously mentioned in a previous review, I expected something a lot more impressive from MTV. However, I was not impressed with the characters or the plot. The story seemed to drag on forever without direction, and then just in the very last chapter seemed to address the issues that should have been the main portion of the book. Thank goodness I found it in a library!

Ms. Troy, undoubtedly, has a unique and vibrant voice. The prose is elegant. However, the novel, itself, tends to float too much for its own good. Conversations are brief and although they are relatively realistic, they are overshadowed by the deluge of descriptive passages. In collusion with this lack of human interaction, I found the character's actions difficult to understand. These characters are almost more capricious than believable. More characters than human. All of these points could have been nullified if the ending had been a definite, poetic moment, with some sort of clear meaning. But ultimately, the extended (and not exceedingly relevent) metaphor of floating dominates the book and leads to meaningless oblivion, not far from the senselessness of action which Ms. Troy seems to be trying to convey. Why do these people do these things? Why are they attractive (is this the vapidness of the Marlboro man, etc...)? Why WAS this 220 page book written? A good first work? Sure. But worthy of inordinate amounts of praise? No. I hope Ms. Troy continues to work and perhaps we shall see great things of her. Writing is more than talent. Writing should meliorate the mind and spirit.

I am only halfway through this book, and I already have so much to say I can't wait to write the review!!! On the other reviews, I agree with most of them...I feel like I know the characters, I love them all. The scenes are beautiful, you can see them happening and they'll haunt you for days. Some of them, like the memory in the beginning of the feild of wildflowers, make me want to cry because they're so GOOD! But the plot DOES drift around alot, I am always proud of my comprehension at the end of each chapter, It can be alot to keep straight. But the characters are hardly "Trailor park trash." The book does a wonderful job of showing what makes these people tick, and I can relate to each one.