Beautiful Children

Is it bad that my fave part of this book was the ridiculous sparkly font on the cover? Really, though, despite the ostentatious and fun-loving cover, I liked the book, too. I would place it in the category of “definitely a first novel,” for its faults, but it had strong points, too. Las Vegas figures as a character in this book–at times shimmering in the evening sun, at times grimy and dust-covered–which was one of the things I liked best. Bock covers the dissolution of a marriage the best, I think, and although all the character's narratives are skillfully woven together, you end up caring more about some than about others, and not intentionally on his part, I believe. Still, overall enjoyable, and interesting to read to compare to ALLLL the hype he's gotten.