I should say up front that I've never played chess. And yet, this is still a ripping good story even with all the chess talk. The author does a masterful job of making sure that you will enjoy the story even if you know nothing about chess at all. That in itself is an amazing feat.

In fact, even though this narrator is highly annoying, I still loved the book. I had to crank up the speed to get past her deadpan delivery. Oh, I yearn to hear this book read by a skilled narrator, one who can bring emotional nuance to a complex character such as Elizabeth. Instead, we have a narrator who sounds like she takes as many downers as Elizabeth does. 

Back to the writing. The story maintains tension with a degree of substance use that is quite frightening in places. We end the book with Elizabeth achieving her chess goals, but still dependent on pills. It feels... unfinished. I hope that means that there is a sequel in the offing. And I hope they'll hire a better narrator.