Lost in Infinity

by Travis Besecker

This book is not for everyone.

'Lost in Infinity' is a novel that many readers will find hard to define. In fact, it's much easier to list what it is most definitely not, than what it really is. It's not necessarily a tale of suspense or a thriller. It's not a mystery by normal standards. It's not inspirational, romantic or full of laughs. Depending upon your perspective and final take on the tale, it's not even entirely fiction.

This book is not for everyone. 'Lost in Infinity' is a novel intended for a very specific audience…

The author would have you believe this is a "psychological roller coaster wrapped in the factual memoir of a chronic insomniac suffering from apeirophobia (the fear of infinity)." He would go on to explain that the "novel unfolds the history of his life as he tries to unlock repressed memories through a near schizophrenic relationship with his own splintered subconscious." This is a clever ruse to suck in his niche reader. This book is not for everyone.

Influenced by Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut and Carlton Mellick III, the novel offers a unique look into the private confessions of a self-absorbed blogger on the precipice of a mental breakdown. The recurring theme of déjà vu leads you through the work giving glimpses of a dark past while offering anecdotes that will eerily relate to most readers. Mixing in humor and satire with a confused childhood spent under the microscope of therapists keeps the mood light while he digs deeper into his past looking for the root of his problems. The narrator pulls back the curtain and reveals his dark inner turmoil as he fears a slow deliberate path toward schizophrenia. A repetition of events and recollections leads the reader through the twisted break the author fears while touching on life's everyday issues and questions. He delves into sleepless nights, stress, relationships and the pitfalls of higher education while he openly offers opinions on religion, suicide, insomnia, depression and the meaning of life.

Many casual readers will be turned off by the jumping timeline. Some will be confused by the author's back and forth focus on his missing memories. The first person pseudo-oral narrative will leave others simply frustrated. The rest will grow sick of the author's defense mechanisms, most often hiding behind his pretentious recollections of growing up a childhood 'genius'. This book is not for everyone.

Now that you've been properly warned and many have moved on to their next light read…

'Lost in Infinity' is part social commentary, part psychological mystery and part diary. What begins as an egotistical journal from an overconfident, yet anti-social, bratty blogger slowly dissolves into the twisted chaos of a mind on the brink of collapse. The reader is eventually forced to decide if the book is a cry for help from a man attempting to rationalize his schizophrenia or a clever ruse to make them stop and contemplate the meaning of existence. 'Lost in Infinity' will leave the reader questioning everything they thought they knew about the author's sanity, about their own life, about existence and the infinite universe beyond.

Genres: Horror

424 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2012

About the author

Travis Besecker (1976 - present) is an award winning author and comedy writer. Using his chronic insomnia as an inspirational tool, he found early success in social media and print. Although he gained notoriety with his humor, he has confessed his preference for the dark nature of horror and suspense. In 2011 he broke the silence on his lifelong struggle with apeirophobia (fear of infinity) and began work on his first novel. Released in February of 2012, "Lost in Infinity" marked his debut into the world of psychological fiction. Although billed as a memoir, "Lost in Infinity" is a work of fiction told from the perspective of a self absorbed blogger as he comes to terms with his own psychosis and thoughts on the universe as a whole. The second edition of LOST IN INFINITY was released Halloween of 2014, taking the original story to new heights. Travis is still working on his fourth novel, "Harnessing the Spark". The horror fantasy set in the chaos of a zombie apocalypse is scheduled for release whenever he gets off his ass and completes it.

Reviews

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many of my friends online were raving about this book that my curiosity was piqued, and I downloaded a copy from Amazon. I immediately felt myself empathizing with the precocious child whose parents tried everything to help him win his lifelong battle with insomnia, eventually taking him to a series of therapists. I found myself irked initially as words, then phrases, and eventually almost entire chapters were repeated throughout the book. Because it was an e-book, I couldn’t flip back to find the earlier passages, but I was constantly haunted by a sense of having been there before. Ironically, “déjà vu” is one of the few expressions that is not repeated very often, but it is evoked so well that I could relate to the author’s building “apeirophobia” or fear of infinity. By the end I too felt like I was trapped in a waking nightmare and longed for the solution, flipping pages furiously to reach the unexpected, but ultimately inevitable conclusion.

Note: Don’t let the lack of professional editing trip you up. The story is worth the pay off. I haven’t read anything quite like this before.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I purchased this book, I confess I did it more to support a new friend than for any other reason. Skimming the premise I deduced that this was not in my normal "comfort zone" of genres. But, I am passionate about supporting the people I know, so I pulled up Amazon and ordered a physical copy of the book. I wanted the author to be rewarded monetarily for his efforts.

The book came UPS yesterday, and while I was excited, it was more that initial phase for me. New book. Uncreased seam. The smell of the paper. I started it at lunch and found it interesting. Very well written. But I was distracted by life and after reading a chapter or four I set it aside.

Last night my internet connection flaked out and I was bored. Picked up the book. And I was lost. This is the kind of book that, if i was 12 years old again, I would hide under the covers and read with a flashlight so my parents wouldn't see the light under my door and realize I was up past my bedtime. As it is I read until I was reading with one eye open, fighting against the urge to sleep. and even when I put the book down, my mind wouldn't stop wondering what would happen next to the character. I woke up early and should have gone back to sleep, but found my desire to find out what happens was stronger than my desire for rest. I could not put it down until I finished it. Racing along to the OMG conclusion...

This to me signifies an excellent book. When I disappear into it's pages completely. I cease to be, and with each page turned I move closer to the conclusion. I found myself laughing out loud at his comments to his bible school teacher, and conversely torn with sympathy for his endless search for the oblivion of sleep. Upon reaching the conclusion I was stunned, speechless, and quite frankly in awe. It all made sense. I can honestly say it was one of the best reads I have ever had.

I hope the author continues to write. I know if he does I will be one of those preordering his next work. I will wait for it to arrive like a child waiting for a long awaited sequel to a beloved video game. And I will hide under the covers with my flashlight so that no one will disturb me until I reach it's conclusion.

[SirShucky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up after seeing it in the hands of several people on Twitter and Tumblr. It didn't seem quite in line with my usual Science Fiction or Horror genres, but I've been looking to branch out and I decided to give it a shot. I figured if nothing else I'd shoot through it and add it to my small list of completed books, hand it 3 stars, and move on. I was very wrong about how much I would identify with the words as I read it.

The book itself held my attention from the words, "...my room was reset" during the prologue. The first 80-90 pages was almost like reliving my own experiences as I've dealt with insomnia, late night repetitive thinking, and the inability to relate any of it to those around me growing up. Right after the stage is set in the first quarter of the book is when the roller coaster hits the first drop. What follows is a stretch of events and ideas that made me question the nature of my own thought processes a few times. The tail end of the book slams firmly into an ending that, although I tried to, could not have guessed was coming.

I almost gave it 4 out of 5 for some repetition, but anyone whose spent 4+ days running on little or no sleep can identify with the concept of things bleeding together in just such a way. The repeats were an effective way to tell the story and help sink in that déjà vu feeling. I'm glad I resisted my natural urge to just skim through the repeats as I might have just as easily missed something.

I ended up giving it 5 because I only put it down for sleep and when outside interruptions would have kept me from enjoying it. I will definitely end up reading this one a few times and probably made around 10-15 highlights from it on my Kindle. After this I am looking forward to checking out "Harnessing the Spark" when it gets finished.

[Nancy Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. It's haunting and entertaining and heart-breaking and amusing all at once. This is definitely a book I will read again and again.

[Quinn Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wise Bear Books Reviews Lost in Infinity by Travis Besecker -- 4.5 Paws!

Lost in Infinity has moments of brilliance punctuated by sheer frustration. The book's lengthy summary does its best to simultaneously attract and deter all but serious readers. Clearly, this novel isn't for everyone as it's an exercise in patience, wading through the unconventional structure and repetitious literary progression. However, there's a method to Besecker's madness as the concept of déjà vu is a key theme and plot device.

Travis suffers from chronic insomnia, which brings the added bonus of a variety of other emotional and social debilitating behaviors and phobias including a fear of infinity, or apeiraphobia in psychiatric terms. We've all experienced occasional restless nights of sleep, and you might think you understand what it means to be an insomniac; but the severity and ultimate consequences of not being able to sleep for days, weeks, or even months until your body literally shuts down, is inconceivable.

Diagnosed at the age of seven, Travis has had to cope with his condition for nearly three decades. It's impossible not to feel tremendous compassion for this young boy who copes by sneaking 20-minute cat naps several times a day and then must endure the nightly terror of a shadow presence who only serves to ratchet up Travis's fear of vast nothingness.

Travis's condition is exacerbated by his genius-level intellect, which causes him to question, protest and defy anyone he believes intellectually incompetent. There is a fine line between madness and brilliance, and Travis is a ticking time bomb.

It takes years for Travis's concerned parents to understand the severity of their son’s condition, but eventually he connects with Katherine, a psychiatrist who manages to bear up fairly well under Travis's constant challenging behavior. Each chapter begins with a small glimpse into their sessions together. Katherine has given Travis a red spiral notebook for journaling, which she reviews at the beginning of each of their sessions. The problem—Travis is neither cooperative nor forthcoming in their exploratory work together.

Travis's highly-gifted intellect eventually propels him into a variety of creative career fields with reasonable success. He is married and father to two boys who seem to have elements of his own condition. It's important to note that while other characters exist in this book, they are mostly referential in nature, as the spotlight is always squarely on Travis and his delicate psyche.

As an adult, he seems to have managed his condition quite well. At 30, his life begins to spiral out of control into a tornado of depression and self-destructive behavior. Travis is on the verge of a psychotic break, which is a crucial element to revealing the story's ending.

In general, the novel reads like a memoir until you get 90% through—that's when the plot twists kick in, leaving no doubt about the fictional fusion with the author's reality. The debatable creation of the book's content made for lively discussion amongst our collaborative review team. How much of the content is autobiographical? Could or does this really happen to genius-level insomniacs? We can't offer any definitive answers, but you can be sure this story is truly thought provoking.

Lost in Infinity has a lot of good things working for it. The story is unique and evokes a broad range of emotions and lasting reactions from readers. It's easy to get invested in Travis's dilemma and hard to forget the psychological impact of the story.

You'll want to help fix this poor kid's circumstances, but Lost in Infinity is not that kind of novel. Readers will be pushed to confront many of their own black fantasies in the context of the novel's circular time looping quality.

Stylistically, Lost in Infinity is a wonderful avant-garde achievement. Although plot and time lines may shift in confusing and unexpected ways, the abrupt nature of the structure is merely echoing the conflict within Travis. The real triumph of this book is that readers will actually share in the frustration of fictional Travis as Besecker's writing immerses readers into this fascinating yet uncomfortable story.

The all-important title and cover are outstanding. The front cover concept is based on Travis's red spiral journaling notebook with terrified drawings of his shadowy tormentor. Too often, book covers don't reflect the essence of the author's story, but Besecker's cover and title work in perfect partnership with book's plot as well as its summary.

The book has a Stephen King-esque feel about it. Like King, Besecker is clearly a lover of psychological terror. The only thing missing from this book is some blood and gore and then you'd have a full blown horror novel.

Our only minor dissatisfaction comes from the story's ending, or lack thereof, as it seemed contrary to the course and direction of the first 90% of the book. The final twist abruptly moves the story out of its sweet spot, the concept of infinite nothingness, into an explanation that felt a little forced and random. We get what the author was going for or maybe we were just waiting and hoping for a good old slasher scene, but the conclusion didn't resonate with us as much as we'd hoped. That said, the final twist didn't dislodge our overall praise for this innovative literary work. And we love that the author wisely fictionalized his personal struggles rather than trying to write a memoir and have readers call into question so many of the surreal details of being a chronic insomniac.

Lost in Infinity has moments of brilliance punctuated by sheer frustration. The book's lengthy summary does its best to simultaneously attract and deter all but serious readers. Clearly, this novel isn't for everyone as it's an exercise in patience, wading through the unconventional structure and repetitious literary progression. However, there's a method to Besecker's madness as the concept of déjà vu is a key theme and plot device . . . Oops, there's that circular time loop we were talking about . . . in truth the book's summary says it best, "This book is not for everyone." But if you’re a fan of psychological dramas laced with elements of terror in the vein of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Clive Barker, and Kurt Vonnegut, then Lost in Infinity is a must-read for you.

This book was reviewed as part of the Wise Bear Digital Book Awards competition. Entry fees associated with the contest are administrative in nature and do not influence our honest, unbiased book reviews.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I thought this book was good. At first I thought it was very repetitive when all you want to find out was his answer. However the ending surprises you and you're left with questions still unanswered. I think the author is a great writer and is very good at keeping the readers attention, not allowing you to put the book down!

*I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads

[QueenBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I knew what this book was going to be about. I was wrong. I was sucker punched. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO GOOD! I loved it all the way to the last hundred pages, then as I thought I knew what was going on, the entire thing changed. Bait and switch. Sucker punch like a semi from out of no where. By the time I was done I started back on page 1.

The novel is disguised as an autobiography, but in actuality it is a fictional psychological thriller loosely based on the author's life.
The novel repeats passages and returns to the same events, and in some cases, repeats key phrases throughout, in an attempt to convey a feeling of deja vu for the reader. Each chapter begins with an aside or dream sequence detailing a relationship between the author and his childhood therapist. By the end of the novel this entire interaction is pieced back together and becomes the final piece to the puzzle.
The twist to the novel comes in the final Part, Deja Vu. It is here that the author reveals the intent of the book was to perpetuate a loop in time, thus creating an infinite paradox in the space-time continuum. By finishing the novel, the reader has done their part in renewing the cycle once more.

The narrative leaves the final decision up to the reader. It is never spelled out whether the book is fiction or reality. Because the novel is an autobiography and the main point the author conveys in the very beginning is there is no reality beyond what your own mind perceives, this is a moot point.
The prologue of the novel hints to this fact. Throughout the author is fixated on Rene Descartes and his philosophical notion of "I think therefore I am". Taking this into consideration, the reader is led to believe that the only real truth is that they have a conscience. The book itself is irrelevant.
Each reader is expected to come away from the novel with a different argument as to what the point was.

Because of the nature of the novel, each reader will have to formulate their own opinion of the book's theme.
What is the meaning of life? Some readers will see the novel as an exploration into the question of "What is the meaning of life?" and what does it mean to each of them.
Memoir of a man with schizophrenia Some readers will see the novel as an account of a paranoid schizophrenic. The novel will be seen as a journal following the narrator's battle with reality.
Fiction Novel about Time Travel Some readers will see the novel as a fresh take on time travel and nothing more.
Uneasy Feeling of Fear Some readers will be frightened by the concept as the book plays to their natural fear of the unknown. Some readers will identify with the narrator and see how the story mirrors their own lives and questions about reality, life and space. Some readers will feel as if the book was written specifically for them.

For me it was the last. I finished the book feeling sick to my stomach, my head swimming and my heart twisted in a fisherman's knot. The beauty of the book is how it sucks you in slowly like a drug dealer, giving you a taste for free, then getting you hooked right before he cuts you off on the last page. I really have no way of describing it. I loved it. I hated what it did to me, but I had to read it again.

[Doomedtolive · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, and I took a ridiculously long time to finally getting around to finishing it. For this I apologize to Mr. Besecker who, if I understand correctly, sent me the copy himself.

--------------------


This is a very difficult book for me to analyze, and I am not at all sure why. The autobiographical viewpoint of the story initially threw me off and made me dislike the way the story was told. The first one hundred or so pages did nothing to hook me in and keep me reading, so my mind invariably wondered to other books and entertainment pursuits. Despite all this I picked the book back up a few days ago, dusted it off, and bit into it feeling as though I had a moral obligation as I had received the book with no charge to myself except that I finish and review it.

I regret not reading it sooner.

The story picked up quite a head of steam upon reaching Travis' adulthood, and the sections at the start of each chapter were quite interesting. The back and forth dialogues were definitely the strongest points of the story to me, whether between the protagonist and his therapist, or between himself and his ego, and I would have liked to see more of his social interactions. I also must give props to the author for writing from a first person perspective and still being able to maintain the mystery in the story. This is a very difficult thing to do for any writer.

Near the end of the story, when Travis starts to understand what is wrong with him I felt much more engaged and I tore through the last pages in a matter of hours. That's when I felt the sucker punch. The ending was deeply unsettling and very well done. The reuse of certain paragraphs used earlier in the story to reinforce a feeling of having read the book before caused a slight thought hiccup that made me almost turn back and recheck to see what had and hadn't been added. The impact seems like something that would more so affect a male than a female however, and the antagonist's motives are not as well explained as I would have liked, but the concept was brilliant and the execution very neat and practiced.

-----------------

I appreciate being given the chance to read an interesting story that I almost definitely would have missed out on otherwise. It is a very strong first outing from an obviously talented individual, and I hope to see more from him in the future.

[Steve Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

For most of Lost In Infinity, each chapter follows the same formula: the introductory paragraph or two tells about Travis's visit to a shrink, then the rest of the chapter continues with the biographical information. The biographical stuff (ie., the bulk of the book) also follow a pattern, with each chapter recounting that (a) Travis is brilliant, quite possibly the smartest man alive (though his spelling, grammar, and apparent fear of compound words cast some doubt on the veracity of this claim); (b) Travis is afraid of infinity; (c) Travis can't sleep; (d) People like Travis (like Tek Jansen, he's obviously had hundreds of girlfriends). So it's a lot like reading G. Gordon Liddy's Will only without, you know, all that interesting stuff about the FBI and Watergate and prison.

Nearly 400 pages into the book, Travis begins to have his revelation and the intro frames about the shrink disappear, but don't count your blessings just yet, because Travis then collects them all into the next couple of chapters, so you get to experience them again for the very first time. Lucky you.

From there on, it looks like something interesting might happen and about 20 pages before the book ends we finally get THE TWIST where Travis BLOWS YOUR MIND! It's good that the twist is held off until the very end, because that means the reader only has to groan through a few more pages to be done with the book. On the positive side, the twist does make it plausible that the constant repetition was intentional rather than just bad writing. Unfortunately, since the mind-blowing twist is one of the most cliched and overused mind-blowing twists in all of fiction, it's really not worth trudging through 400+ pages to get through. It might have worked as an EC comic or Twilight Zone episode, but is a waste of time as a full-length novel, especially since Travis occasionally breaks out into Dan Brown-like prose (I recall a couple of angry street lights).

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first the repetitiveness of this story bugged me. Once I finished reading the entire book, I understood why it was written this way and I think it's brilliant.

This story threw me for a loop and surprised me with what I was not expecting.

Plus, I can relate to the main character in some ways.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this ebook for free on Amazon after having it on my to read list for a long time after finding it on first reads. The best way I can even begin to describe Lost in Infinity is that it is bizarrely awesome. Read it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it alot! the most thought provoking i think therefore i am puzzling yet. though i have no interest whatsoever to drive my car anywhere right now, i immensely enjoyed venturing into the terrified mind of this character for a short time. the writing style is frustrating yet fascinating

[J_oreo77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Didn't take long for me to sucked into it. One of those books where I actually slow down torwards the end just cause I don't want it to be over yet.

[Gemma Feltham · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first and last impression of Travis Besecker’s novel Lost in Infinity is that it is fast-paced, gripping, intense, interesting, challenging, a little confusing and thrilling all at the same time!

I first have to address the issue of trying to define what genre this novel is. If ever there was a novel that was going to be hard to place, this is it. The novel’s first person pseudo-oral narrative will leave some readers frustrated as they try to work out if they are reading an autobiography of sorts or fiction. I decided it was a bit of both, after finishing the novel I felt the truest definition for it was as a social commentary of modern life, relative to one person’s opinions on religion, insomnia, higher education, marriage, children, suicide and the meaning of life.

The repetitive style which is a major feature, combined with the time-hopping desperate memory searching may confuse readers at first. You’ll feel like you’ve accidentally re-read the same chapter twice; but you will soon realise that this technique is the author’s best way of making the reader experience and therefore understand, what life has been like for the main character Travis.

Lost in Infinity is definitely a novel worth taking your time with and reading slowly. Several times I re-read a paragraph or had to force myself to slow down, as eager as I was to know and experience more of Travis’ life; I also wanted to make sure I didn’t miss an important comment, recollection or well… anything in fact!

I personally thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the use of flashbacks­–to present, made easily identifiable in the change of font as well as tense, making an e-book visually appealing is tough but well managed here. The inclusions of these techniques provides the reader with a greater grasp of what and how the past of our main character, (Travis- yes based of the author, or so I’d like to believe) has affected and continues to affect his present and how it will affect his future.

Chapter nine’s discussion on the subject of suicide is utterly fascinating to read from Travis’ perspective- not only because of the insomnia and apeirophobia, but also the autobiographical-fiction style the novel is written in. It’s a chapter which will undoubtedly make every reader question his own thoughts on suicide, and when done with that, you’ll then begin to question your psyche; thus further enriching the reader’s experience and understanding of Travis’ life with his issues.

By chapter twenty-seven I felt that I had already fully appreciated this wonderful novel, only to realise that this is a book that just keeps getting deeper the further you read. As you begin to feel like you understand the cycle of Travis’ issues, the addition of children increase their complexity ten-fold.

At several intersections throughout the novel Besecker directly speaks to the reader. He applies this narrative form in such a way that it is neither too familiar, nor too assuming and yet he manages to pull the reader even further into the vastly complex world that he exists in.

One thing I enjoyed about this novel is the lack of whimsy. Many autobiographical works I’ve previously read attempt to add humour, which usually feels ill-placed and is a turn off; and they then have a tendency to drift towards sounding too whimsical amongst all that nostalgia- making their story seem both less real and less inspirational. But Besecker manages to avoid this trap. His story remains intact, real and breathtakingly complex.

Chapter twenty-nine’s discussion on dreams and their place in our all too autonomous lives, struck a significant chord with me. You see the insomniac parts of this novel has deep resonance for me, and that is what makes it so titillating to read- to discover how many seemingly mundane adventures of life could become a complex search for answers and meaning. Most people dream at some point in their lives. Some are memorable, others horrifying and most are forgotten and never thought of again. But to want to dream so desperately, only to have that goal achieved but stripped away from you at the same time; it invokes a deep want for something truly positive to happen to Travis.

This feeling comes not from the idea that positive things don’t happen to Travis throughout the novel. It’s more that whatever positives (or negatives) that do occur, are constantly over-shadowed by Travis’ need for concrete, indisputable answers. A truly positive occurrence would be for Travis to get some of those answers that he craves.

In the final chapters of Lost in Infinity the biographical element feels all but abandoned, and the reader is left with something that reads much more like a thrilling piece of fiction than it has up to now. Of course Besecker remains consistent in his use of first person pronoun, but the only redemption for this sudden and unexplained break in the narrative style, is the delivery of a stunning plot twist.

I cannot stress enough that Lost in Infinity is a novel which requires and deserves a decent amount of attention, so if you’re tired although the plot will get you hooked quickly, the frantic, repetitive style will play tricks on your tired mind and you run the risk of becoming frustrated with it.

Travis Besecker is certainly an author to try if you want a literary challenge, but this novel is definitely not for everyone. His style makes this a great book for discussion, suggest it to your book club, I promise you’ll have plenty to talk about!

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads first reads giveaway. I enjoyed this book but there was a lot of repeating. Like word for word exactly. The ending is nothing I would have expected. It was so bizarre.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel had potential to be really great, but unfortunately the poor grammar, repetition (even though I know it was deliberate) and weak structure made the entire thing a little lackluster. Though, even with my annoyance of the absence of good editing, I couldn’t put the book down. The premise of the novel is interesting and something I have not read in a while, but I have a feeling that the reason why I kept on turning the page is because I just wanted to know more information/what the twist at the end was, not because I was actually interested in what was currently going on in the story. When I got to the end, I personally thought the twist was something that I’ve seen before, many times, so overall I was disappointed.

Even though I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending/twist, I don’t regret reading the book – but I doubt I’ll read it again or recommend it to anyone. This is unfortunate because I feel that if more time was put into revisions and editing, this novel could have been much, much better.