If I had a nickle for every queer coming of age story with cousin romance, I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. This story had some beutiful descriptions of Sri lanka, and did a good job exploring the turmoil a young man feels when 14. Unfortunatly, I found myself really disliking the main character, and had a hard time staying invested in his plight. I understand that 14 is an immature age, and some of my dislike comes from remembering how I was at that age, but that did not make it easier to inhabit his thoughts. The story has a rythm of a long stroll with a sudden rough turn of the trail near the end. It is an interesting style, but not one I enjoyed very much. I think this is a good book, and the low ranking is purely my personal enjoyment of it.