I loved it. I'm sure I didn't understand all Vollmann wanted me to. The writing style, while difficult, is extraordinary.I do not have the literary background to do justice to any deep analysis, so I'll just give you a reader's appraisal. The closest comparison I can make is to David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest". The method of writing and the characters reminded me of "IJ" within a very few pages. I feel safe in saying that if you do not care for DFW, you will not care for this book.
We are taken on a journey in an unrecognizable USA (and world). There is a bare bones description of what is happening to people and places other than that necessary for us to follow the characters through their travails. The list of characters at the beginning is of benefit so you can remind yourself of who is on what team.
The other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing the story and the other literary devices.I read this at about a third of my regular reading speed, and at times had to go back to reread a page or two because I had lost the thread.
To put it in a nutshell - I had fun reading this, which is my goal with any book I read.
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