Wicked was an original and complex character study with a compelling story; Tales of an Ugly Stepsister was not as good but good enough. Maguire's third adult novel, Lost, would be different, I knew, but I had guardedly optimistic expectations. They were dashed long ago and I'm not yet finished. Yes, the worst aspect of this book is that there's just enough curious bits sprinkled throughout to make me want to finish reading and find out what happens, even though I'm bored and annoyed along the way.

First of all, the pacing is plodding. The aforementioned good bits have to do with strange, possibly supernatural happenings, but the bulk of the book is Winnie wallowing in wishy-washiness and self-pity, so the ghost story is sparse and slow-moving. Interspersed with her internal whining and external snarkiness are excerpts from Winnie's novel-in-the-making (novel-in-her-head); they are boring and, worse, because they tell us the backstory of Winnie's relationship with her cousing John, don't to the point quickly enough. Unless you are totally thick you pick up on her longing and jealousy and his indifference early on, if not the specific circumstances that drive them.

With one tedious exception -- Winnie -- the characters are sketchy and confusing. I find myself rereading pages with wrinkled brow, trying to guess what tone is intended for a piece of dialogue. Winnie is the one whose thoughts I am all-too-well acquainted with. Her whining and worrying and (yawn) writer's block bore me as much as they do her cousin John. Shut up and get over it already! But before you go, tell me who the ghost in the chimney is.