The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

A very dense, plot heavy book with lots of characters and the sense of mystery.  The book is set in New Zealand during the gold rush of the 1800s when a fast growing gold rush town is rocked by a disappearance and a death as a newcomer arrives to town.   You do have to persevere with the different personalities in order to engage with this novel which is a sort of murder mystery book.  The concept is based on the idea of the "golden ratio" so each section is half the size of the preceding section (so yes halfway through the first section you wonder if you will ever read another book in your life) and this irritated me a little as surely a book should start with a concept based on something other than how long it is going to be.  There is also a focus on the signs of the zodiac and two of the characters are (I am reliably informed by the author) the personification of the moon and sun.  Basically, it is a bit weird and although it is readable and has some exciting bits I don't think the ending is worth the investment.  An impressive book to have written, and I admire the effort but the output (for the reader) is not especially entertaining.