Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this book based on rave reviews, and maybe I'm going against the prevailing opinion, but I found it grueling, painful, and excessive. I wasn't prepared for the themes of abuse, incest, a sick man's obsession about post-apocalyptic survival with his daughter, and the grotesquely twisted forms "love" takes. Stephen King proclaimed this a masterpiece, but I should have remembered that he's a writer who deals in horror, psychological suspense, and atmospherics, and it occurred to me afterwards how subjective reviews always are (so take mine too with a grain of salt). I was drawn to the idea of a young girl ultimately emerging victorious, her soul and spirit defiant, her cunning and powers almost superhuman, and the descriptions of the natural world of the northern CA coast are lush and intricately detailed, like a dreamscape. I wondered: is it meant to be like a myth, a nightmare journey? The dialog is stilted, the violence prolonged, the perils extraordinary. I admit, I kept going, but at times it made me feel squeamish and sordid, and overall, it was an exhausting book. I'd say, just be forewarned that's the territory you're entering, and decide.