This was -boring-. The way the multiple POVs were used, and the lack of clear delineation between flashbacks and modern-day, was probably so novel and creative in 1964. It's still used today, but differently. Here, it's sloppy. Maybe there's been a lot of growing pains around this literary device over time. I was not attached to any character. I didn't care about what turned out to be such a flimsy plot. This was a character study with scene and costume changes. It was really a story about two bland people who the author tried to make seem edgy. Maybe they were when this came out. Anti-Semitic stereotypes are present. Mostly I rolled my eyes but sometimes gritted my teeth. The book ended on a massively open vagueness. How unsatisfying, even in such a boring book. Don't waste your time on this literary hunk of boredom. ( )