In the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of The Westing Game, more clues are revealed and I WAS FINALLY PREPARED FOR SOMETHING, SOMEONE THROW A PARTY. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Westing Game.
Chapter Thirteen: The Second Bomb / Chapter Fourteen: Pairs Repaired
HOLY SHIT I WAS RIGHT ABOUT A THING AND STILL HORRIBLY UNPREPARED.
- Why the bombs??? The person who planted them went after both restaurants first, and I can’t figure out a motive for it. UGH THIS BOOK IS CONSTANTLY TEASING ME TO MY FACE.
- It’s so fun that Raskin doesn’t ignore the chance to let us peer more into the lives of these characters while slowly unraveling the mystery, too. I learned SO MUCH MORE just from these chapters alone.
- There’s that brief moment where Hoo and Grace bond over how hard it is to be a parent, which speaks more to their unwillingness to critically look at their own parenting styles than anything else. Because they both make me uncomfortable in how they treat and view their kids.
- Chris is also quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, and it’s frustrating to see how others dismiss him without a second thought. Y’all are going to regret that. Note that Theo is willing to be more practical about his future so that his family can pay for Chris’s medical expenses. Ugh, I love their relationship, y’all.
- I’m also intrigued by the growing attraction between Theo and Angela. Oh, you two can’t deny it anymore. It’s happening.
- Good lord, can Ellen Raskin stop crushing my heart with Flora Baumbach? My fragile humanity can’t take it anymore.
- NEW CLUE: FLORA MADE VIOLET WESTING’S WEDDING DRESS. !!!!!!!
- ANOTHER NEW CLUE: Oh shit, in-book confirmation that Jake Wexler is the bookie referenced in the beginning of the book. HMMM.
- So who is the burglar? The bomber? The mistake????
- Don’t we already know that Angela is the thief? Does that even count?
- I definitely don’t have a clue who the bomber is, but I’m guessing it wasn’t Mr. Hoo. The man is so obsessed with his restaurant doing well (understandably so!) that I can’t see him sabotaging himself in the process.
- It’s also not lost on me that Sydelle, who faked a disability, actually breaks her ankle.
- “But the Wexler apartment was exactly where the bomber planned to set the next bomb.” I SWEAR TO GODS I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO OPENLY TEASED BY A BOOK. WHAT THE FUCK, STOP IT.
- Chapter fourteen works mainly to disprove every theory about the meaning of the clues so far EXCEPT FOR MY OWN. OH MY GOD, I’LL FREAK OUT I PROMISE.
- Sydelle’s theory about the hoods of the cars in the parking lot? Wrong.
- Flora and Turtle’s theory about the stock market? Wrong. And kind of costly.
- J.J. Ford’s theory that Sam Westing is trying to get revenge against someone? Actually, that hasn’t been proved wrong, and she gets Sandy McSouthers to agree with her that this can’t truly be about finding his rightful heir and murderer.
- But McSouthers confuses me anyway. Where is his family? Why haven’t we met any of them? If his family is so large, certainly we would have met at least one of them by now, right? And he’s whistling “America, The Beautiful” at the end of this! THAT HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING. Or… not. It could mean nothing. Damn it, I can’t tell what’s a red herring and what’s not.
- Otis and Crow aren’t getting along, either. I still don’t understand her.
- I also don’t like Denton Deere at all. He’s creepy and condescending, and he’s contributing to people defining Angela by her impending marriage to him. I hope she finally stands up to him and breaks off the engagement.
- So, yes, WHERE ARE MY BALLOONS? MY ELEGANTLY DECORATED CAKE? I WAS PREPARED FOR SOMETHING. Theo figures out that one of the lines in the will was from “AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL.” OKAY, RUN WITH IT. PLEASE TELL ME MY THEORY IS CORRECT.
- I’m glad that the novel hasn’t tried to ignore that Sydelle’s quest for attention is pretty messed up, but Raskin made me re-think my approach to Sydelle in chapter fourteen. Angela shocked me when she purposely lied to Sydelle and bought into her lie. She chose to give Sydelle attention over calling her out, and that’s fascinating to me! Was it done out of sympathy? Empathy? Does she just want to keep her friend?
- Y’all, THE LETTER IN ANGELA’S BAG. That’s from Jake, right? Maybe? And “the devil take doctor deer” is referencing Denton, right? And those are Jake’s clues, right??? Oh god, I can’t remember who had what clues. I SHOULD HAVE WROTE THAT DOWN.
- onwards to BEING TOTALLY UNPREPARED.
Please note that the original text/videos contain uses of the words “idiot,” “stupid,” “cripple,” “insane,” and “crazy.”
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
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