53 out of 53 people found this review helpful.
The Westing Game
Date of Review: Oct 11, 2001
The Bottom Line: If you like a puzzle and you don't mind trying to keep track of numerous characters, this is fun light reading.
Yet another month has passed and once again this Tuesday night it was book discussion night with my book club. Our October selection was The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, a young adult book and winner of the Newbery Medal in 1979.
The plot of this rather strange book revolves around the murder of Samuel W. Westing. Sixteen diverse people, most of whom seem to have nothing in common, are called to the reading of Westing?s will. Most show up because Westing was famous and rich, despite the fact that most of the potential heirs don?t have any known connection to him. Instead of a normal will-reading, the "heirs" are paired up and given clues to the mystery of who killed Westing! Even more disturbing ? Westing says that one of them has taken his life.
The book proceeds at a fast pace, giving snippets of what each of the sixteen suspects is thinking and doing to solve the mystery. Just keeping track of the various characters is tricky, because there are just too many people to get straight, and the characters are (necessarily perhaps) not given in-depth treatment. Instead, Raskin relies on stereotypes to help the reader. There is Turtle Wexler, a bratty but smart little girl who kicks people in the shins when she is angry. Her mother, Grace Windsor Wexler, is a pretentious snob who wants to be rich. Madame Hoo is a woman from China who speaks little English and so isn?t sure what is going on. Her husband runs a Chinese restaurant, and her son is a track star (at least he isn?t pegged as a star student). Sydelle Pulaski is a secretary who is desperate for attention. Etc.
Solving the puzzle might be easy for those who read a lot of mysteries ? or those who are just way smarter than I am! I am embarrassed to confess that I read The Westing Game about 5 years ago, and I still couldn?t solve the mystery! I guess that Mensa membership is going to have to wait? Honestly, I don?t know how a 13 year old reader would solve the puzzle (unless they were lots smarter than me. Ahem.). Luckily, the book spells out the solution.
Despite my criticisms of The Westing Game, it is fast moving and fun, provided you can keep track of the bevy of characters. While I never felt that it was an easy-to-pick-up-hard-to-put-down type of book, many people ? both "young adults" and "old adults" ? have enjoyed it. It does have a certain amusing aspect, and there is plenty of action.
I?d be curious to know what other books were nominated in 1979 for the Newbery Medal. While I found this book diverting, I also found it frustrating. I don?t mind not being able to solve the puzzle (heck, I can barely remove child-proof caps); what bothers me is that there are too many characters crowding a book that is only 217 pages long. They aren?t developed much and the plot just carries them along.
I?m in a bit of a flummox about what rating to give to The Westing Game. Clearly, some people love it, and maybe my problem with it is that I am almost two decades older than its intended audience. While I did enjoy reading it in the sense that I wanted to know how the puzzle was solved, I didn?t feel any attachment to any of the characters. I didn?t even feel drawn to the book as I have with other young adult books and Newbery Award winners!
I guess I?ll give this one 3 stars because it struck me as average. Better than some young adult literature, but worse than a lot of other young adult literature.
Other Newbery Award winners of note (that I recommend far more than The Westing Game) include The Giver by Lois Lowry, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L?Engle.
