Hunger Point

by Jillian Medoff

“[An] unusually honest, painfully funny novel about a tight-knit family’s struggle.”  — Entertainment Weekly "My parents may love me, but I also know they view me as a houseguest who is turning a weekend stay into an all-expense-paid, lifelong residency, and who (to their horror) constantly forgets to flush the toilet and shut off the lights." Twenty-six-year-old Frannie Hunter has just moved back home. Bright, wry, blunt, and irreverent, she invites you to witness her family's unraveling. Her Harvard-bound sister is anorexic, her mother is having an affair, her father is obsessed with the Food Network, and her grandfather wants to plan her wedding (even though she has no fiancé, let alone a steady boyfriend). By turns wickedly funny and heartbreakingly bittersweet, Hunger Point chronicles Frannie's triumph over her own self-destructive tendencies, and offers a powerful exploration of the complex relationships that bind together a contemporary American family. You will never forget Frannie, a "sultry, suburban Holden Caulfield," whom critics have called "the most fully realized character to come along in years," ( Paper ) nor will you forget Hunger Point, an utterly original novel that stuns with its amazing insights and dazzles with its fresh, distinctive voice.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Jillian Medoff is the acclaimed author of WHEN WE WERE BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (out 8/2), THIS COULD HURT, I COULDN'T LOVE YOU MORE (national bestseller), GOOD GIRLS GONE BAD, and HUNGER POINT, which was made into an original Lifetime movie.

Reviews

[Esmeralda Rupp-Spangle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Within the first chapter, I hated almost the whole cast of characters.
I hated the main character, her mother, her father, her best freind, but I never hated her sister- she just seemed crushed under the weight of a dysfunctional family from hell.

Anyway, I don't know why I felt compelled to, but I read it like there was no tomorrow.
Even though it made me irritable, angry, and unhappy, I kept right on going. I discovered that the author has a knack for making you dislike all of them, and then she pulls everything together in this slow repairing weave that's both sort of careless but elegant.

I continued to dislike the protagonist almost all the way to the end, and though by the finale I was kind of rooting for her, I also wanted to smack her and tell her she was being foolish every three seconds.
She is remarkably selfish, self-centered, slutty (in a New York trash sort of way) possibly alcoholic, incredibly materialistic, petty, vain, not really interested in anything worthwhile, shallow, bitter, self-pitying on a massive scale, self indulgant, and judgemental.
Her whole family is a terrible mess. They are horrible to one another, and it's only marginally less bad by the end, even though they have confronted terrible tradgedy.
They learn a little, but not much it seems, from the experience. They may tell one another that they love eachother a bit more, they're just as screwed up as in the beginning.
They're not screwed up in an endearing "aww, what a cute mess" sort of way, and not in a "oh, the shock and horror" sort of way- they're just really really awful to one another and seem to have no idea how to cope with real emotions or serious situations.
BUT
For some strange reason I found myself hating them a great deal less by the end. Not out of pity, no, it's more like they just sort of grow on you- and though you quietly despise them, you still don't want to see them hurt.
It was also totally and completely honest. I realized I didn't like these people because none of their flaws were whitewashed. Every dirty little nook and cranny, every line or pimple or character flaw was made plain and distinct and clear- and it made me respect all of them a great deal more.

I can't really say if I *liked* the book. It's hard to say you like a book whose characters you want to to pummel.
I READ the book.
I felt as much of their pain as the author could convey, and watched them bumble around hopelessly trying to cope with it.
Would I reccomend it? Urk. It's well written, engaging, smart, I lol'd a few times, I got choked up at least once.... but it will make you mad, irritable, possibly give you a headache, and make you wish you could kick at least one of them in the shin on multiple occasions.

If you're up for a read that's that draining emotionally, I absolutely reccomend it.
It was a book I will certainly never forget.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down! I did not know it before I started reading but I actually watched it as a Lifetime special a few years ago. This book is about a very dysfunctional family where everyone seems disconnected from their other family members. I was shocked at how absorbed the parents were with themselves and didn't seem to know what was going on with their daughters. I was so sad that Shelly seemed to self-destruct and eventually died! Frannie also had me scared for awhile that she might go down the same path as her sister - I'm glad she was able to turn it around! A realistic look at family life. I'm not a prude or anything, but there could have been a little less "sex talk!"

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frannie Hunter is twenty-six years old. She's moved back with her adulteress mother and emotionally absent father after being fired/laid off from multiple jobs. Frannie has never met a boundary she hasn't crossed. Her younger, perfect sister Shelly is hospitalized for anorexia and Frannie purges.
Jillian Medoff has created an irreverently humorous voice in Frannie, that makes her narcissism tolerable.
Readers will enjoy following Frannie's maturation as she begins to believe in herself and gain insight into her issues. At times the book dragged, but overall I enjoyed the book.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I ever read. Clever, dark, surprising, and brilliantly written. Yes, it's difficult; and yes, the author delves deeply into issues like depression and eating disorders, but it's honest and raw and funny, which is so rare these days. Good novels amplify life; they teach us how to look differently at the world, and see things close-up that we might never notice. Hunger Point does that and more.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew after reading the prologue that this book was for me. The prologue was scarily accurate to my own life and struggles with weight and food. So accurate in fact, I was worried I had written a book and forgotten about it.

Hunger Point is about Frannie Hunter and her sister Shelly. Two girls raised by a mother that has an unhealthy obsession with food and weight. Both girls struggle with eating through their teenage years, and while Frannie manages to escape any serious consequences, Shelly unfortunately succumbs to anorexia. When the story starts, Shelly has checked herself into the hospital and Frannie is living with her parents suffering from mild depression and unemployment.

Many reviews have pinned Frannie's character as selfish, shallow, self-pitying, materialistic, and judgemental. And I think if you think those things, you have obviously never been through a hard time. Yes I saw all those things in Frannie, but what I saw more of was her perseverance, her strength, her level-headedness, and her wicked sense of humour. I saw so much of myself in her. I could relate to her so well. I laughed with her, I cried with her, I rooted for her and at some points I chided her, literally shouting to the pages "stop it, you idiot!" I wanted to be friends with her. Let her know that she wasn't the only unemployed, single woman with food and commitment issues.

This book was raw and very honest. All of the characters' flaws were visible. And it was beautiful and refreshing. And you know what else I loved? People said what they were thinking! I'm so sick of all these books with their artificial and melodramatic characters that beat around the bush for ages and ages and then don't get why no one understands them. The Hunter family had emotions and they shouted and cried and loved.

Finally this was a wonderful portrayal of real girls having real issues with food. Most books about eating disorders focus solely on the most severe cases of anorexia, which few people can only slightly relate to. While Shelly was a big part of the story, the focus was on Frannie, whose problems were the same as thousands of other woman in this world.

There's a Lifetime movie based on this book. Be sure to avoid it if you can.

[Leslie Mcgilberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was compelled to finish this book because I kept hoping to find some redeeming quality in any of the characters - I hated them all (except Shelley), but there were none. This book actually made me irritable! The only thing good I can say about it is that I learned a lot about eating disorders and suicide.

[Melissa (Distracted by New Grandbaby) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart wrenching and real story of two sisters, one with anorexia. Moving.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don’t know what to say about this book. A slow start but this story truly builds into something dark and disturbing insight into a dysfunctional family and emotive health issues throughout. 3.5 thought provoking

[Meagan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish it. I bought it raw off of Amazon, then when I recieved it I saw the little blue thing on it proclaiming: "SOON TO BE A LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE!" Well, then.

I kept going nevertheless, and quit around page 65. It's poorly developed, there are NO characters you like, half the book is the main character's inner-dialogue, and the whole thing is harsh and jagged, like a light bulb without a shade that hurts your eyes to look at. The author wants to show the reality of things like eating disorders, post-college uncertainty, family life and marriage, but she goes past the pont of reality and crosses over into 'worst case scenario.' You've gotta give us some REASON to WANT to read the book, you know? Jeez.

Just watch the movie when it comes out on Lifetime, if you're that excited about it. It'll be easier, they'll probably soften it up and get Tori Spelling to play Frannie. It all works out.

[Mehreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated this book at first. I thought it moved really slowly and I was annoyed by every single character in it. I didn't think I'd get through it...but I'm glad I did. The first half is terrible, I was annoyed by Frannie because she's lazy and wishy-washy and doesn't take a stand for anything! I was annoyed with Shelly because she knows she has a problem and refuses to talk about it...although the denial and inability to communicate is really a problem with most of the characters.

The fact that I'm still awake to write this, however, is a testament to how amazing the second half of the book is. There were endless quotes that I wish I could keep with me forever and it made me want to run upstairs and hug my sisters. I love the give and take with Abby and Frannie and I'm really proud of who Frannie becomes at the end. At the very least, this book makes me grateful for the family I was blessed with.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book last weekend. It is a true to life fictional account of two sisters dealing with their dysfunctional upbringing and how it affected their attitude towards food. The younger sister commits suicide after struggling with anorexia. It's too bad that the ending wasn't more "uplifting." After reading a book such as this I would have liked to come away learning something or feeling like the character is going to change for the better. Instead, this book left me feeling hopeless. *sigh*

[Katherine Marple · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very light read for a very heavy topic. Anorexia, bulimia, divorce, messy love, suicide, depression, adultery- are only a few of the topics Jillian covers. She covers them with humerous grace. I thought the book was going to by "whiny" but it really wasn't. The main character was strong and I truly wanted her to succeed. Jillian definitely got a few laughs and a few tears out of me.

[Paisley McClellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one hit home for me on several levels and it made me a fan of Jillian Medoff. Sadly, her biting, cynical novel was turned into a fairly awful Lifetime movie–but the book holds up. A great descent into extreme dysfunction with a harrowing detour into the horror of chronic eating disorders.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Could be triggering.

[Leela Srinivasan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally every character in this book was insufferable

[Molly Fennig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall 2/5 stars. DNF. I tried really hard to finish this book. Unlike many, I had to force myself to keep reading, but ultimately decided not to finish it. According to other reviews, this was a good decision-- apparently there is some redemption at the end, but not enough to make it worth it.

Overall, the characters had little to recommend them. Frannie is self-centered and self-pitying. Her lack of drive and follow-through, which later we can attest to depression, coupled with no redeeming qualities, makes it impossible to root for her. The mother is arguably more self-centered. As a mother she is absent at best and borderline emotionally abusive at worst. She is having an affair, both with another man and her unending supply of painkillers. The father is passive and unhelpful. The sister, Shelly, who suffers from anorexia, is the most likable character, but since the book is through Frannie's point of view, we don't get to understand or appreciate her as much as I would have liked. While a dysfunctional family is unfortunately common in mental health issues, having no positive qualities in these characters worsens the stigma and is an ultimately unfair depiction of some of these issues.

On the other hand, there is a lot Medoff does well in educating about mental illness. The therapist was realistic in her comments and suggestions. Likewise the descriptions of Shelly in the hospitak felt authentic, making it clear that Medoff had done her due diligence in research. I appreciated the attempt at an eating disorder book from the family member's point of view, especially exploring other member's issues, but I wish the execution lived up to the promise. The crossover from dieting culture growing up to the eating disorder as an adult in Shelly, but not Frannie, was a good representation of risk and protective factors (ie not every family member will have it). Similarly, the family's inability to grasp the severity, and essence, of Shelly's disorder is unfortunately realistic.

Plot was another area that held promise but made it harder to stay engaged. Some of the initial conflicts-- Frannie's search for a job and love, and Shelly's battle with an eating disorder-- lost steam as the book progressed. Part of this was not liking the characters. Another part was Frannie's own apathy towards her goals and her lack of influence over Shelly's progress.

One saving grace of this book is that the writing is relatively well done. Medoff is clearly talented and managed to keep me reading longer than others might have, thanks to her great prose.

All in all, the premise held a lot of promise, but the book falls flat in multiple areas, especially likable characters and an engaging plot.

[RJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in the hospital since I was unable to do much else with my time, and so the "special occasion" of it stuck with me. I share the complaints of other reviewers: the majority of the characters are more unlikable than just flawed, making the story hard to care about. I did not personally relate to the main character, with whom I had nothing in common, but I felt I knew others who might relate to her better, so that's not a criticism of the writing per se. In some ways it was nice to read a book in which Anorexia was not the main focus - however this novel is ultimately more of a general love story, to its detriment. It was not a statement on mental health or even dysfunctional families, it's just a story with those elements.

Spoilers below.

The way anorexia is portrayed in novels is often troublesome. This book for the most part actually did a descent job - it was accurate (they're often not) without turning anorexia into some kind of freak-show entertainment. An important theme is that the main character gets involved with her own (often self-created) drama, and so ignores the serious issues happening with her anorexic sister. There are time-lapses where she forgets her sister, and is therefore shocked by the changes when they meet up again. Most poignant to me was how the main character realized how disconnected she had become after visiting her sister in the hospital, who is so different from her smart-n-quiet past self that she shrieks and breaks the bathroom mirror in an attempt to bash her own head. Anyone who has experienced severe mental illness in real life, whether themselves or in a loved one, knows that the shallow perception of anorexia as vanity is totally false.

However, the end of this book did one thing I absolutely hate in fictional tales of anorexia: it is revealed near the end that the anorexic sister experienced sexual abuse which she never spoke of. It is true that many people with EDs are abuse victims. However, fiction writers tend to like to wrap a neat bow on the "cause" of anorexia, to give readers an "aha! that's it!" moment. This gives a very false oversimplified view of EDs. There isn't this one single event that can be pointed to for blame this way. It's a writing technique that is super common in books with anorexic characters, and it's really frustrating.

Worse, the book left me with a sour note. In the end, this book was a love story with a tired message - that if you get your act together you too can get a man. Eyeroll. The conclusion was not about learning life-lessons about family or self, so any depth the book could have had was obliterated.

[Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

If dysfunction were a book, this would be it.

I'm not sure how this wound up on my 'to-read' pile some ten years ago... it must have been recommended to me by someone, as I can't see myself having wanted to pick it up from my own volition. Everyone in this book is so damn unlikeable and they don't even seem to like each other.

The book opens with Frannie and Shelley developing disordered eating habits by their mother, Marsha. This looks like it's going to be the major topic of the book, but it's not. It comes back in flavours, but it's by no means the driving force. Frannie falls into bad habits as a teenager but outgrows them, while younger sister Shelley doesn't develop said habits until adulthood.

After this, we're flung forward ten years. Shelley is being admitted to hospital for anorexia. Frannie is back home, living with the 'rents as she's lost her job and is floundering.

Despite being twenty-six, she refers to her parents as 'Mommy' and 'Daddy', but more than that, her parents refer to one another like that. This drove me up the wall. Y'all are damn adults, refer to one another as such.

Quince paste is frequently referred to.

When we get to the middle of the book, I began to grow more interested. Shelley dies. Just OD's and bam, in the ground. This surprised me and I thought it would go off in a different direction. And yes, for a while it does. It explores the possibility of either Shelley or Frannie being sexually assaulted by a group of teenage boys in high school (it appears to have happened to Shelley, but Frannie has similar inklings), but then it all falls flat. Nothing eventuates from it. And maybe this is true to life, in that sometimes questions go unanswered, but... it felt useless. Like everything in this book, nothing happens. Things just drag along. Frannie flops from one man to another, doing nothing with her life and making everyone around her extremely uncomfortable.

And that's how it ends. Her in another uncomfortable situation. Nobody grew. Nobody really learned. And I now have to life with the idea of parents referring to each other as Mommy and Daddy to their almost-30 year old daughter.

[Emily Patsouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Goodreads review.. I had to, because I absolutely cherish this book and was disappointed a good amount of people didn't "like" the characters.

I'm so grateful I met Frannie, Marsha, Shelly, David, Abby, Max, Vicky, Paul, and even Bryan, Charlie and Freddie; not because they're "likeable" but because Medoff has miraculously captured their motivations and thought processes. Frannie's internal dialogue gave me unprecedented insight into my own dysfunctional logic and made me feel less alone. As someone still trying to recover from an eating disorder that is 1000x more enmeshed with my mother, the book helped me come to better terms with my family dynamic as well.
I realized recovery is a lifelong process.

The character that was most grating to me was Charlie, even after we meet his family (which I would've loved to grow up in.) But the way he is patient with Frannie as she reclaims control over her sexuality and processes huge emotions made me cry the most and have hope (and also check the publication date and feel like men aren't like that any more.) The point is, the character I disliked most ended up delivering the greatest shift in my perspective.
I can't wait to read another book by Jillian Medoff next! I really have never felt so understood by an author. Overall, I took away a new understanding of how suicide affects loved ones. Of course I always knew this, but the unanswered questions, anger, guilt, nightmares, intrusive thoughts and crumbling relationships were brought to life in such a way that genuinely moved me.

[Bookworm Express Kwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was first published in 1997 and I loved how it captured everyday things like a time capsule. Our protagonist picks up the phone not knowing who is on the other side, there are answering machines, fax machines, other people picking up her calls, because the only way she could reach someone was calling them at work.

Frannie, our protagonist is like any other twenty-six-year-old. She doesn’t really know what she wants with her life, she is let go from her job (fired), and needs to move back in with her parents. Meanwhile Shelly, her younger sister, works at a law firm, applying to go to Harvard, making their parents proud. Minor detail: Shelly’s eating disorder.

The story starts with Shelly checking in a hospital for anorexia treatment, forcing Frannie to re-examining her relationship with her sister, with their parents, with food, and self-destructive behaviors. And while this story is heartbreaking, how it is told is the complete opposite. Frannie is funny without trying to. I really liked how at the beginning of the book I laughed out loud at Frannie’s dark thoughts and behaviors, and how the same thoughts and behaviors at the end of the book were making me sad.

I can imagine that if this book were published today, it would be a bit shorter, as there were some chapters where nothing was really going on. At the same time, it reflected Frannie’s catatonic state of being lost well, I guess.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had been sitting on my shelf for way too long. The premise of the story is from a sister's perspective (Frannie's) and it describes the dysfunction of their family and the demise of her sister (Shelley) due to her Eating Disorder. The story holds a lot of promise and has a platform to educate, but it does not succeed in that regard. The author's use of the word(s) "retard" and "retarded" really turned me off. Perhaps someone should gift Jillian Medoff a thesaurus so she can use better word choices. The ending was just a big question mark. I don't think it wrapped up ANY of the loose ends or gave me any idea what happened to Frannie a year from the end or ever. So, basically I read this book twice, first time I stopped around 270pp for no apparent reason. To be frank not that much happens after that and since the ending didn't tie up any loose ends, I was left disappointed. I will be donating this book, as I have no desire to ever read it again. It was also made into a Lifetime movie, if you saw the movie, basically the book is the same, so save yourself the time..... the book is that bad that the movie is an equivalent, which is something I NEVER say. Disappointed.

[chels marieantoinette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Positive stars for realistic portrayals of the seriousness of eating disorders, family disfunction, and diet culture in the 90’s, but overall, I did NOT like this book. I’ve read a lot of ED books and I find them hard to rate. I don’t mind rating this one low because the characters were entirely insufferable. Frankie smoking in her house and inside her dad’s car was so stinkin rude, I just wanted to slap her.
I can relate to the weight-obsessed mother. I was on a cabbage soup diet before I even had a drivers license… on my mother’s orders (this is a funny review to write on Mother’s Day). I’ve had every pound I gained or lost critiqued by her my entire life. Thus, I’ve also struggled with EDs most of my life.
I don’t blame her. It was era and also the way she was raised. But, I can relate. Frannie’s mom, though, was next-level oblivious and basically heartless.
This book is sad and realistic, but, again, I just couldn’t stand the family. Even taking into consideration the age of the book, families don’t get a pass on being nasty because it’s the 90’s. Ha!
Just go watch the lifetime movie, it’s cheesy, but actually pretty well done.
I will say that I did like the writing-style, very Gilmore-girls-quirky-quick-whit.

[R. Gene Turchin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jillian Medoff tells an exquisite story about a young twenty-something, Frannie Hunter, taking us inside her head as she struggles through life. It is a romance, adventure, coming of age and growth story very well wrought with the author’s capable hands.
The story is all about Frannie’s interactions with a dysfunctional yet loving family and a tragedy that crashes down on them. The characters, Frannie’s mother father, her sister, Shelly and her best friend, Abby, are both richly drawn and complex.
I was impressed with how she uses everyday dialog to move the story, creating complex ethical, moral and philosophical issues with simple conversation. This one moves at a brisk pace and is well worth your time.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has suffered from depression and is an over-eating so much of this book was like hearing my own thoughts. My best friend is also a recovering anorexic so I could see so many of the issues with food that we both have so clearly mirrored here. I am thankful that we both never got to such extremes with our illnesses. Most of the book i enjoyed though near the end the constant back sliding began to be emotionally draining even to read. Overall though Frannie's voice was clear and really spoke to me. I understood her struggle and through that understanding found clues in my own struggle.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly, this felt quite similar to My Year of Rest and Relaxation—partly in its very very 90s feel that I can't quite put my finger on (but why does it feel so 90s?), and partly in the way I couldn't find any characters with whom to sympathise. That must be intentional (Frannie is inclined to deny anything approaching responsibility; blame all her problems on other people while simultaneously cutting those other people down to size; and borrow people's prize possessions without asking and then be offended that they're annoyed—surely she's not meant to be likable), but it didn't necessarily make me enjoy the experience of reading it.

There's a moment, perhaps three-quarters of the way through, when it seems that Frannie has at last turned her lens outwards and started to care about how other people feel, to do things with other people in mind, but...it's not the longest-lasting of moments. And that, too, must be intentional. It's probably for the best, since a complete 180 wouldn't feel realistic (orrrrr true to who Frannie is), but i guess the whole aggressively-unpleasant thing isn't really for me.

[Rawry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh goodness. Almost DNF a book for the first time and really wish I had after all. Francine is an awful protagonist, I was constantly thinking to myself, "Holy shit, can she get any more unlikeable?" There's truly a difference between a well written, unlikeable character with depth and one that is solely written to frustrate readers. Aside from that, the writing style was bland and tasteless, I was in no way transported or immersed into the story, simply reading line after line of redundant text. I have not left a bad review on any book so far but this one broke my record.

[Susan Bazzett-Griffith · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most dysfunctional family dynamics in a character cast I've read in awhile, the writing in this book was both realistic and paced at a slow slog. I didn't enjoy the book- it isn't a novel meant to be enjoyed, though. The characters are all carrying serious baggage, neurosis, grief, anger, zero coping mechanisms, and overall complete messes of lives. Somehow they are somewhat sympathetic, but also unlikable amd bitchy. Wouldn't recommend, 2 stars.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darkly funny book about a family with mental health issues. Both daughters and the mom are dieting constantly. The father watches cooking shows for enjoyment. Frankie, the oldest daughter, sleeps around lots looking for love. When the younger daughter enters an institution to overcome her anorexia, the members of the family handle it in unusual ways. A bit dated because no one had cell phones, texting or computers but a nice story despite all the running to use telephones.

[Nick Prewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great first novel from an underrated author. This book is at times hilarious, even though some of the humor and language is a bit dated at this point. I also am impressed by how psychologically informed Medoff is. She delves into the psychodynamics underlying eating disorders and depression. I think there are some structural and pacing issues, but this is to be expected from a first novel. Overall, worth the read.

[Kristen Pollard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see what Medoff was trying to do with the story, and there are some parts of an eating disorder and the psychology of the family that I found to be accurate and that kept me reading. However, the writing could have used some more polish -- too many inconsistencies in characters and plot, and a general lack of depth -- that left me wanting more from the book.