The length of this short book seemed a bit stretched, as if it should have been a novella instead, or even a long short story. The plot is very linear, and there are really only two characters — Josephine, the central one, and Joseph, her husband, who we don't really get to know well. The story is Kafkaesque without being a pastiche, and it's set in what could very well be the present day in New York, Chicago, or another big American city.

I enjoyed it much more at the beginning. I could identify with Josephine, and I liked her and her husband. I was intrigued by the small mysteries that arose. Then the story lagged in the middle, and I began to worry nothing new would happen. The sort-of surprise ending unfolded quickly and clearly, and it's fun and clever (and even sad). This book not terribly deep or brilliant, as some of the reviews would lead you to think, but it is entertaining.