Changes

I can't really say that the book enthralled me because it was frustrating getting through so much preamble, but to its credit, finished well with a few interesting ideas. I think it's a wasted opportunity, despite the obvious quality of the writing, because the aspect of the interaction between Gideon and the Devil and the subsequent events after his disappearance had plenty of potential to offer up an exciting tale. I'd read Douglas Coupland's ''Girlfriend in a Coma'' which is not a million miles away in terms of concept and enjoyed that much more because the big event happens a lot sooner, giving time for the concept to be explored fully, something that Gideon Mack lacks.

The Devil, who turns out to be far from the stereotypical monster that you might expect, provides a lot to chew over. It's such a shame that his role is very much of a bit part player, albeit an important one and I thought the book gained a lot of life from the point where the two characters meet until Mack's disappearance and the subsequent conclusion. The ending was more reminiscent of the conclusion of an M. Night Shyamalan film such as The Sixth Sense or Signs where little snippets of seemingly worthless information are tied together to suggest something really strange has happened. Unlike those movies, I didn't enjoy the journey to the payoff as much as I might have done, but the ending itself was something I did quite enjoy.