ecmarshall

Yes, it's true that Goldstein strains to wring humor out of every story.
But...

This book earned 4 stars not by being funny, but by inducing the reader to empathize with the characters. I wonder if Goldstein didn’t employ humor just to misdirect the reader’s attention, as a magician might use a cape or pyrotechnics. The reader’s thoughts might turn elsewhere (maybe lamenting the flatness of the jokes), allowing Goldstein to make a scene of considerable poignancy materialize out of thin air. For example, the death of Cain or screams of the drowning as heard from inside the Ark.