The Fourth State of Matter

It takes a lot for a good story to make me personally depressed while I read it. “The Fourth State of Matter” however did just that. Jo Ann Beards life is depressing to the point that as the reader you pity her. She lets her soon to be ex-husband walk all over her. Her dog is on the brink of death, which is a horrible thing to watch happen. She even has live squirrels living in her bedroom. All that together sucks, but you really truly feel terrible for her when you find out about Chris, who she loved, was murdered at the hands off Gang Lu. You feel terrible for her, but then the story redeems itself when at the end she throws her husband out. I enjoyed this one, even though I did feel it was a little to long for its own good.