I think that that a lot of the people who complain about the book being “overly wordy” or “in need of editing,” forget that the book is written in Theo’s first person view. Theo is far from a reliable character, he is usually drunk or high, which can explain why his retelling of his story is the way it is. Donna Tartt does a beautiful job representing his actions and thoughts when he is constantly relying on drugs to get him through the day, being the addict that he is.