Post-Birthday blues

Yesterday, I finally read the last few chapters of The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver.

It started well enough. I like the way that Shriver writes. Unfortunately for me, however, her clean, rather distant style wasn't enough to sustain my interest in what is a very long book about some people I didn't particularly care for.

It's the story of one woman who has a decision to make following a moment of temptation. The novel charts her development along two very different paths, each one set by the decision she makes at that moment. It's a good idea for a novel, and executed well-enough. The problem is that in both stories the heroine's introspection becomes pretty tedious.

I skipped reading about a third of the book because it was becoming repetitive. Nevertheless, I was committed enough to read the last few chapters to see how the characters ended up, and how Shriver brings it together in the end.

Overall, mildly depressing.