This book is an extremely uncomfortable read and definitely not an easy one either. I was relieved I had Wikipedia at my fingertips as there was so much information about a period of history I know little about, it really helped getting extra background and working out who were real and fictional characters (it would have helped to have a few less). The main character is so unlikeable it's a wonder I managed to keep reading, but it is a fascinating book and has so many parallels to the modern world (think conspiracy theories) it is definitely worth perservering.