I get that completely. It's just that Johnny is an insufferable character. His arc is not just uninteresting, it's so grating that it feels designed to get you to toss the book in a fire.

So it doesn't serve it's purpose at all. It's not a pacing device. It's a killing device. It killed any interest I had in the book.

And even without Johnny, the Navidson records didn't go anywhere. It just sort of set up an interesting premise and left it largely unresolved. Leaving the book with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Tons of potential, entirely unrealised.