Instruct: Classify a given review into positive or negative sentiment.
Query: Engaging

I was thoroughly engaged with this book! It captured my attention right from the start and that same connection continued until the end. The author has a clever way of combining sadness, humor, joy and hurtfulness into his situations and characters. His characters are rich and well developed although their relationships with each other are often odd and uncomfortable. Perhaps that's one reason that makes the book so engaging. For a dull mid-Western town, Peter Hedges knows how to craft a fascinating tale of complex relationships which puzzle and satisfy the reader simultaneously.