Shadow Country by Peter Matthiesson

Okay - so I can't get into this book. 

I'm about 20 pages in and there's a million and one characters already and they're all speculating on EJ Watson and relating his history.

So far it is 98 per cent exposition - it's tough going and I'm no stranger to long exposition-filled passages. I'm a MASSIVE Charles Dickens fan and I can get through one of his big ones in a couple of hours. Dickens is the world leader in exposition, but I'm having trouble with Shadow Country. There is minimal action, just people talking on and on about EJ. And on. And on.

The reviews for this are fearsome wonderful. It is considered by not a few to be a great American novel. A friend recommended this to me and I value her taste in literature...

So. I'm going to start again. I may need to write the characters down to keep track of them. 

Expect to hear back from me on this one.

Update: 31.05.13 - Stillll reading it!