And that brings out another fault, the lack of any sympathetic character. I suppose you might care about the tragedy of Willie Lester but the guy is so off the deep end that it is hard to feel anything but pity. Practically every character in the book is simply an opportunity for dark humor, satire, and tragedy. This makes the book seem rather empty in the end. Speaking of the ending, forgive my moralism but is it good when the a complete lack of morals and conscience wins?

These negatives aside, the book was quite funny in places. If you enjoy black comedy and brutal social satire, you would probably enjoy it. The closer you are to the corporate, big city, and overly ambitious world that Heller is skewering, the more you will likely enjoy the satire. Those whose taste run towards cynical and bleak will find the lack of moral character or compassion easier to forgive. Those who need a character they can root for might be have a hard time enjoying the story. All in all I found it a dark, biting, and entertaining comedy but an ultimately unsatisfying one.