Instruct: Classify the given Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: A juvenile exercise

Helprin's prose always stood on the edge of an abyss of self-indulgence, and in "Antproof Case" it takes a big step forward. The author seems so worried about his readers noticing the plot's thinness and stingy doling of tired, obvious revelations that on every page he unleashes a loud literary diversion. Watching a writer stop just short of leaving a note at each chapter break which says, "admire me, respect me" is almost enough to engender sympathy. However, such an aura of smugness pervades the book that it's unlikely anyone will feel sorry for long. What could be amusingly picaresque in another's hands is made numbingly picayune in Helprin's, and in the end it's a shame the ants didn't get to the manuscript and save everyone a bit of trouble.