On the other hand, there's a whole parade of colorful characters throughout the book, and they're all great. A typical problem with such characters is that they seem contrived--merely the product of some novelist's desire to invent the quirkiest possible cast. But not these folks. You believe that every last one of them could, and in fact do, exist.
The ending's good too. I won't give it away. I'll just say that it's realistic, and the way the protagonist reacts to the whims of fate shows his admirable character at its best.