Ugh! Recommended by my local bookstore, I was really excited to read this, but it did not work out for me. The explorations of grief were very powerful (and the loss of a child is something that, obviously, would turn your entire world upside down). And watching our main character struggle and sink and become hollow, and then start to find meaning in the Hollow-Earth Conspiracy group…just fascinating. A really unique yet quite on-the-nose metaphor. Fun historical data about this conspiracy throughout the years, as well as some truly human moments among the unhoused population in Austin. So all of that is great, and I appreciated the story-telling framework, jumping between the present and giving glimpses of the past, as you wait for details on the initiating tragedy to unfold. But dang it, the person he reveals in his past was so thoroughly unlikable and irritating, it sort of ruined it for me. If this wasn’t so short, I wouldn’t have finished it. And I only did because the present day Hollow Earth stuff and the world at the shelter was very engaging. This privileged sanctimonious white dude college professor, complaining about how HARD his life was, about what a STRUGGLE it was because his wife wasn’t as sexually available anymore because she’d recently had a baby. And then watching his struggles when a sexy young co-ed is flirting with him. “Oh, the humanity! What a rich interior life and nobody has suffered more.” Just, barf. Even though his present day self tries to have some learned self awareness and can at least point out how sanctimonious he used to be about his Religious Studies courses, etc…it isn’t enough to make me care of empathize. Because he really doesn’t seem to have learned much or have self awareness to the real harm and hurt his oblivious and selfish behavior caused. Just so Over It! And then watching the past events after the death, and his continued selfish obliviousness and shockingly clueless and stupid choices. Again, lame. Clearly he’d never truly faced a hardship before. Him not knowing how to deal with the death of a child is understandable and relatable (who could possibly be prepared?!?). But his inability to talk honestly with his wife or the lawyer or how any of those events unfold…and then his shock at it all?!? Just, I disliked him so much, and his continued belief that his life had been SO HARD because he wasn’t getting laid regularly by his recently pregnant wife and his struggles to not have an affair with a 20 year old student. Maybe if I’d read this 20 years ago, I’d have been impressed and moved. But at this point, I am over this obliviously selfish behavior and so just didn’t care about his current life or struggles. He really hasn’t reckoned with the harm he’s caused (and really doesn’t make any effort to meaningfully apologize to his wife or the co-ed or anyone else). Like, it’s nice that he started doing some volunteer work, but come on!