But. More important is that I found my own family story in this novel, particularly the one of men, many men in my family (maternal and paternal), how they came to the north for industrial jobs, leaving behind families of wives, sons and daughters, never to return, seduced by big lights, equal rights, sturdy paychecks, Paradise Valley, and sexy, sultry women like Odella Wither. The anguishing alienation of migrant dislocation is captured quite well in this novel (i.e page 112). So you gotta love this novel, even with its flaws and mistakes, it’s still worth the read.