Neverworld Wake

I am a huge fan of Night Film and could not wait to dig into Neverworld Wake (despite me being really repelled by the title-I just don't like the way it sounds). Here's the thing: Pessl's writing is way above par. She crafts sentences that are so fabulous, I am yanked out of the story and stop to reread what I just read. Beautiful. BUT the story of Neverworld Wake is a strange one, and while it mostly held my interest (I was bogged down in the “I love Jim so much” flashbacks) it's a little hard to wrap your head around. Add one-dimensional characters to that and it muddies it further. I could not, even now, tell you the difference between Cannon or Kipling, or Jim even. The ladies are a little bit easier. Personally, I wanted more about the Keeper. Creepy!
That is what works here- the creep factor, the ticking time bomb of the vote, the instability. I never knew where the characters were going to go and could not even imagine what I would do in a similar situation. In that, the novel is mind opening. I disagree with some reviews about the pace. I thought the pacing was excellent, it added to the manic feel of the situation.
Overall, although a little flawed (and really, how much of that is me subconsciously comparing it to Night Film? Let's be fair), it's still one of the best novels I've read in awhile. If I can remember it in a month, then it's as good as a I think it is right now.