A dark humor pervades the story as Thompson's cast of characters struggle to find a place, their place, without compromising themselves. This position on compromise makes it impossible for them to master the steps of the order's waltz. The characters' efforts to create their own waltz steps are, at times, magnificently insane; wonderfully hilarious. At other times, they fail miserably and pay heavily for it. The book explores how fragile the mainstays of a culture become for individuals who seriously challenge their validity. Religion, often to the detriment of spirituality, requires a Leap of Faith to get beyond reason. Some can't make that required Leap of Faith. They are unable to ignore the absurdity of dogma. The characters call out the contradictions and hypocrisies while demonstrating a will to define their own meaning and purpose. Politics, the social order, family, everything is scrutinized by the thoroughly engaging characters in Thompson's book.
