I spent half last night reading The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.

I haven't read her first book, see anywhere, which was a critical success.

I've gone a ways, but I'm not sure she's not just playing with a great jumble of typical southern characters and traits in this book. It could be experimental. If so, the resulting aimlessness is hardly her fault, but the fault of the publisher who chose to release it.

We'll see.