I picked this up since it was announced that a TV series based on this book will be released soon on HULU, and that it was more timely than ever. I avoided reading it before because, to be frank, I didn't want to hear a gruesome tale about women being marginalized and abused. But I'm glad I did. This story is important on many levels. It shows the damage that men suffer when they cannot have balanced relationships with women, or open relationships (friendships or otherwise) with other men. It shows how subtly authoritarian regimes will creep up on well meaning, law abiding citizens. It shows how our reliance on computerized banking can be used against us. It shows how superficial beliefs about "nature" can be used to oppress others. And it carries the warning that change only amplifies with each new generation.

I love the way that this was broken into so many parts yet was a beautiful whole well done!

This book has one of the best writing I've ever read in my life. Beautiful, poetic but not pretentious. How can someone write so beautifully one of the scariest and saddest fictional stories I've read? I felt like I was reading something that really happened (because maybe in a way it reflected real life i don't know). I agree with it beeing called a "modern classic". I believe this story will stand the test of time, as it should.