My only books were women's looks

This was strange meandering novel, switching back forth through time period and point of view from chapter to chapter, paragraph to paragraph. It was never linear, and would hint at people and events before the fact, only to explain them pages, even chapters later. It was not easy reading by any means, but it was rewarding. The way it all unravelled and came together so perfectly, so beautifully in the end made it all worth while.ETA Sept 2010: Just finished re-reading. It was possibly even better the second time because 1)I was prepared for the dense prose and slowish pace, and the way things got referred to before they happen. Also 2) since I knew the twist, I could see all the hints. And yet, I forget the biggest part of the twist, so I was still blown away by that. What an amazing crafted novel.