I can certainly understand Colin Firth making a difference. We're definitely fans of his in this household too.
Yes, I do know adults that can be as self-obsessed as teenagers, so the overweening angst is not altogether unrealistic, but that doesn't make it that interesting to me. Maybe if there had been something more to this story, some additional reason for being that could help to support and perhaps even reinforce what Greene was trying to convey. As it was it felt sparse, and all I could feel was frustration that none of the characters would pull the finger out and just get on with their lives.
As we've already talked about, that additional something was probably meant to be religion, but it's as wishy-washy as the rest. I felt like shaking the characters and yelling at them: "If you want to believe then believe! Just stop this stupid and self-destructive cycle of believing just enough to feel bad about your life, but not enough to do something about it. Good grief!"
But the thing is, my view of the situation is at serious odds with Greene's presentation. Using God as an excuse to do or not do things you know to be wrong is just plain ... I probably can't continue this line of thought without reverting to the P&R forum. Let's just say I want to shake the lot of them. I might buy a paper copy of the book just so I can throw it around the room.
So, to the extent that Greene drew an emotional response from me, this book worked. But since that response seems so much at odds with people that actually enjoyed the book, I have to wonder what the author actually intended.