Grappled with this one alot after finishing. Some moments are brilliant, and McMurty is able to make me laugh out loud, feel deep sadness, and become appalled all within a single chapter. Other times it feels like there's a lot of loose ends.

This is a very vivid picture of a dying, mid-century Texas town, but sometimes the character work leaves me wanting. Incredible scenes, but at times I feel this lacks the thematic cohesion to tie it all together. Sometimes it does come together! But not always.