I have read the book years ago and am rereading it as it I one of my favorites. I’m not completely through the book yet, but wanted to weigh in about the family first. The whole family is nuts.
First let’s talk about the family as a whole, they are perfect. A perfect family does not exist! I understand it is fictional and years ago but come on, as far as making it believable it is farfetched. They look and act perfect, I can see why bad things start happening to them.
The mother is completely useless. Yes, she takes care of her children but only until her husband dies. She falls apart and starts falling back on her parents because she doesn’t believe in herself a and her capabilities to care for them. From what is mentioned in the book, she starts relying on Cathy and neighbors to care for the children while she writes letters and walks around in nightgowns.
Cathy is selfish, jealous and childish. I understand she is a child of 12 but are we really that naive at that age? She was jealous of sharing her father with her own mother. On what planet is that normal? By the time I was 12 I had been to 3 funerals for great-grandparents and grandparent. I know that not everyone has been that unfortunate but to not to grasp death at that age is ridiculous. Believing wholeheartedly that no one can die unless they are old is so blissfully stupid.
So far the book is good, I am just ranting about how perfectly crazy the family seems to be. Talk about overkill on the husband too by the way. V.C. wanted to make sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that the man was dead.
You be Beethoven, and I’ll be Bach.
Abra Rhea
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