One After Another

So far, I am on page 158 of my book, which has a total of 292 pages. If there was one thing about the book that I wish was different, it would be the timing of the introduction of characters. At the beginning of the story, 2 or 3 characters would be introduced at a time. Usually this is not a problem for me understanding-wise, but when this occurred every couple pages, it got a little confusing. For example, in the first 5 pages, 5 characters are introduced. The bartender and a bearded man are introduced on page 4 (but are not named until page 10), and Snake and Eddie, two of the bad guys, are introduced on the next page. At the beginning of the book, this was not too much of a problem, but now that there are almost 20 characters who were introduced practically one after another, it is a little confusing to keep track of everyone and how they are connected to the plot. On a positive note, Barry has an interesting writing style because of the number of characters and perspectives in his story that I really enjoy. He will spend x number of pages on what is happening to one character, then swap to what another character has been doing that was not present during that time, then to another character. During some of the busier scenes, he will spend a couple paragraphs in one characters POV, then go to other character’s POVs, so the reader can see the thought process behind (almost) every action of every character. This is the first time that I can remember reading a book written with this style. It is strange, but I like it. It is nice to be able to read about what each character’s response is to a situation; I never have to wonder “Why did they do that?”. Sadly, the mix of this writing style and my confusion of the characters has been a little problematic, but for the most part, it is easy to follow along with who does what and when.