I quite enjoyed reading about the Troutmans. A dysfunctional family on a cross country road trip. Although the subject matter of this novel is very heavy ( mental illness, suicide attempts, neglect) Toews does an excellent job of keeping things light (at times downright hysterical) with her excellent timing and dry wit. It actually had me thinking of the movie Little Miss Sunshine on more than one occasion. Not that they were similar stories so much as the characters reminded me of each other. I particularly loved Thebes, and would love to spend some time with her and just hang, yo! Recommended read