This book is on a lot of “best of the year” lists, for good reason. While it reminds me a bit of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, in that it’s narrated from the point of view of a 5 year old, it’s an amazingly original work. It took me a while to get through the first 100 pages or so — once I did, though, I pretty much read the rest of the book in one gulp.
It’s a tough, emotional, book to read — in a lot of ways, it’s a sort of mother’s analogue to McCarthy’s The Road, in that it explores some fundamentals of the relationships between a mother and her son. The context is alternately sweet and horrifying, but a very smart book, in an original voice, and well worth the read.
John's Blog 
Thanks. Have been trying to decide whether to read this book — the subject is so brutal, but the reviews have been tremendous. Had the same dilemma with “The Lovely Bones.” That was well worth the read, too.