I knew I liked this book. I just knew it, even though I didn’t have the slightest idea why. Well,
thanks to you lovely lovelies who chose The
Westing Game for our July novel, I remember.
In her dedication, Ellen Raskin says Jenny asked for a
puzzle-mystery, and that’s exactly what she got. The Westing Game isn’t so much about solving a murder, though
that’s part of it, but about putting together a puzzle that will, once
complete, hold the key to the mystery. And, well, that aspect of the book is
extremely fun. I say this as a person without patience for puzzles.
Part of what I enjoyed so much wasn’t guessing who the
murderer was (because of course after all these years I forgot), but in piecing
together the riddles—trying to figure out the how of it all.
The other part of what made The Westing Game so incredibly fun: Many of the 16 characters
wrapped up in Sam Westing’s game are unlikeable, but Raskin spends time
humanizing most of them. The interactions
between characters were sometimes sweet, sometimes hilarious as personality
types clashed.
I might have liked for the story to end with the “A Happy
Fourth” chapter, not really needing information on what happened five years
down the line. The last chapter was touching, though, so I’m mostly on the
fence.
No matter. Regardless of the extended ending, The Westing Game is a fun, twisty puzzle
that I love just as much now as I did as a kid—definitely worth a re-read.
Later this week, we’ll be picking the August book, which will be a YA beach read. Get your suggestions ready!
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