This constant switching is perhaps what masks for so long the lack of any particular depth to the plot, or to the characters themselves. So much is mystery and anticipation throughout the novel, but the answers are always rather anti-climactic. There are some interesting twists to the storyline, but nothing that can really pull the whole of the novel together into a cohesive work.
Overall the choices the author makes - characterization, plot, themes and ideas - are all very different from standard fare, and I enjoy the non-standard fantasy world he creates through these choices, but the purposefully blunted energy of the novel keeps it from being a stronger, must-read book. The style seems to be much better suited to short stories than novels.
