It's got an almost-cliche premise -- it's about a poor grad student who stumbles upon an ultra-rare, supposedly cursed book and gets sucked into international intrigue -- but plot is really just there to vehiculate Thomas' clear, engaging, and accessible glosses on deconstruction, quantum mechanics, and abusive relationships. It reads with the same speed as books that have a lot less content -- it's a total subway blaster. You'll be done in a week and even if you think the ending's a cop-out, it's not like there's any easier way out of the many predicaments we're in now.