I know Doctorow as a wonderful writer - but what was he thinking here? He is trying too hard to be profound - and loses his grip on the narrative. Such a shame...and a disappointment.

After reading Doctorow's excellent book "The March", I wanted to read more by him. As I started this book, I couldn't believe it was by the same author! It is a puzzling novel which moves forward and backward through time, sometimes in the same chapter. I couldn't tell if the character was himself or his father. One chapter is about a female, never identified except as "she". Parts have no punctuation, and poetry is thrown in here and there. I would call it experimental fiction, not interesting enough to finish.