Books and Such

Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game is a short and fun mystery, great for anyone. Despite the large cast of characters and the short length of the novel, Raskin manages to run a master class in character development. 

Although the target audience is children, the book is still engaging and interesting for older readers as well. While it is simple enough for anyone over the age of ten to read and understand, I believe that reading it as a young adult is still valuable. The story touches on themes of racism, ableism, and classism through its portrayal of characters from vastly different backgrounds. In scenes where all the characters are present, their inner monologues reveal the societal influences guiding their lives, as well as the effects of these influences. Perhaps the most telling of this is the portrayal of the titular character, Mr. Westing, who often dresses up as Uncle Sam for Fourth of July celebrations. Not only does this character become a metaphor for America, he becomes a metaphor for the American Dream, showing how we can succeed and become rich through hard work, white privilege, and stealing others’ ideas.

Although written and published in 1978, this book feels timeless. The characters are deeply written and deeply flawed, capturing humanity in each individual in a way few other novels do. It is difficult to read this without feeling strongly about characters; love or hate them, you can’t help but feel a certain way towards them.

From the start of the novel, it is evident that Raskin has finely crafted this story and left no part of it unexamined. This book, if nothing else, is a puzzle. One must read it twice to fully understand all of the foreshadowing and clues that have been laid out from the beginning of the story. One must also read it twice just to fully understand the narrative, as Raskin writes shifting perspectives throughout the novel without establishing any one narrator. Although the novel is written in an omniscient third person point of view, the reader may still be left wondering who exactly is telling the story, as the characters' thoughts shift from paragraph to paragraph for no apparent reason. 

The Westing Gameis a novel that is much more than it seems on the surface. This book is great for anyone looking for a simple, lighthearted read or those who want a puzzle to pick apart and examine in the form of a novel.