I love this book. I read it years ago; when it first came out, actually. I was never a huge fan of the first in the series, but was intrigued enough to try it. So glad that I did, because this is just such a wonderful book. The story, and mostly the CHARACTERS are so well done. Eddie is a perfect foil for Roland, and that first section of the book with their interactions is just gold. And this book has many of my favorite Roland moments; his discovery of "tooter" fish, his near orgasmic reaction to Pepsi, his wonderment over buying 200 bullets for so little money, etc. All so well done, and following these characters over multiple books and years was great.
But...
It's also one of the books that the more rational side of my brain has trouble with. Not the Roland's world stuff, like giant lobsters, magic doors, etc. No, it's the mundane stuff. Specifically, Detta Walker. I never could quite believe that Odetta/Detta could coexist for so long and not be found out. Detta, for example, actually has an apartment of her own. She mentions this. How does she pay for it? She can't have an ID, or a source of income, so how does she do it? How does she get out of Odetta's house and not remember being there, when she seems to always remember where she is when she "takes over" as it were? I know she makes up some memories, but if she becomes Detta in the middle of Odetta's penthouse, she has to wonder how she got there, you know? How does she get out? How does she get to "her" place, without people seeing over all this time?
I loved that the split personalities were so distinct, but it was a bit hard to reconcile for a period that long, and THAT separate.
But...
It's also one of the books that the more rational side of my brain has trouble with. Not the Roland's world stuff, like giant lobsters, magic doors, etc. No, it's the mundane stuff. Specifically, Detta Walker. I never could quite believe that Odetta/Detta could coexist for so long and not be found out. Detta, for example, actually has an apartment of her own. She mentions this. How does she pay for it? She can't have an ID, or a source of income, so how does she do it? How does she get out of Odetta's house and not remember being there, when she seems to always remember where she is when she "takes over" as it were? I know she makes up some memories, but if she becomes Detta in the middle of Odetta's penthouse, she has to wonder how she got there, you know? How does she get out? How does she get to "her" place, without people seeing over all this time?
I loved that the split personalities were so distinct, but it was a bit hard to reconcile for a period that long, and THAT separate.
