Lindsay

[KxBurns]

I personally thought Lindsay was the story's most compelling character; in fact, one of my favorite moments in the whole book is her surprising turn as the Cup.

What did you think of Lindsay and her development over the course of the novel? What were her key moments? Many of you commented that Lindsay was the first to give up hope of finding Kim alive. What do you think contributes to her loss of hope?

One could argue that Lindsay goes from being the overlooked younger child to the target of increased scrutiny. How does she change from the withdrawn Little Larsen, holed up in her room listening to music, to the young woman of the concluding chapter who reflects that she is now, "...nineteen, older than Kim had ever been..." (p. 277)?

-Karen

[dhaupt]

I also found Lindsay a complex character and I think that because we actually get to be with her as she matures helps. I think it says a lot about her character that she becomes a confident and self reliant young woman.

First being the unnoticed "ugly duckling" sister and then going through loosing a sister and not knowing for so long what happened to her and the way her parents tried to isolate her from life at first it's a testament to her that she turned out as "normal" as she did in the end.

I don't necessarily think that she gave up hope sooner than the others I just think we knew what she thought more than others and she knew that Kim wouldn't have run off.

[bentley]

Isn't it funny; most folks might have been drawn to Lindsay whereas I found myself drawn to Nina and her transition.

Lindsay always knew she was going to a far better school than Kim got into; Kim there or not was not going to deter Lindsay from her goals.

In fact, I think she might be the female version of O'Nan; quietly deliberate..focusing on what he wants to achieve and ignoring the distractions. I think Lindsay was able to feel the loss without becoming enveloped in it and depressed. She was very much caught up in living her life to the fullest.

And when she did eclipse Kim in age; I think that was a source of relief for her.

[umlaut]

Lindsay being the second child and known to everyone as "nerdy" and a loner in the beginning of the book grows to be an independent and outgoing women towards the end. Her character is rather confusing and continues to be this way all thru the book.
As we progress with the story of the missing sister, from the beginning it appears all this searching and organizing to be little too much for Lindsay and she just doesn't seem to care and has already established what she thinks has happened to her sister in the first few chapters. I don't believe that she lost *hope* since, she was never part of the group searching for Kim.
AS for "One could argue that Lindsay goes from being the overlooked younger child to the target of increased scrutiny." i don't believe this, her parents gave her quite a lot of freedom; they let her be in her room as long she wants, they make deals where she can keep her job if she keeps her grades up. Knowing of all the dangers, Lindsay's parents let her go live in the city. Therefore i don't think she was being scrutinized by her parents.
To me Lindsay grew up in her sisters shadow and she knew she could never out-do her sister, finally Lindsay releases and states "...nineteen, older than Kim had ever been..." (p. 277), i believe this is a defining moment in her life, when she realizes she longer needs to compete with her sister and that she is her own person.

[lenoreva]

Lindsay, as I have mentioned in other threads, was my favorite character and the one I could have seen O'Nan writing in first person as.

[DSaff]

I really felt for Lindsay. Her parents, especially her mother, seemed to want to shield her from everything - the police interviews, the news, life. Hence, they didn’t spend time with her. They didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her sitting in her room all the time. It was easier to keep track of her that way. They didn't seem to understand that she needed to be made a part of the process of finding Kim, that she needed them to talk to her and include her. When she finally gets to go look for her sister, I thought Lindsay became more open and ready for her place in the group.   

Lindsay lost a sister and became an only child. What a huge change to deal with! I think she loved her sister, but had lived in her shadow. Now, that shadow was gone. Lindsay never got to know the person her sister would become. Lindsay, who seemed to be the shy, wallflower type contrary to her exuberant, self-absorbed sister, had to change without Kim’s help. She eventually did become a self-assured young woman enjoying college in the big city, but it came at a horrible price.   

[cocospals]

I felt throughout the book that Lindsay "thrown under the bus" by her parents. They missed the fact that she was scared about what possibly happened to her sister, they missed the fact that she possibly needed to talk about the incident, instead when she holed up in her room, they just let it happen. I felt at times that her best friend thru this whole ordeal was not Dana but the dog.  Her parents did not seem concerned about her "mental health" during Kims disappearance.  Sad, very sad.

[lovemybooks]

I agree, it seems that Lindsay's needs were not really met and she was forced to come to terms and deal with the situation on her own. But it seems to me, she does a fine job with it in the end.

[Bonnie824]

Lindsay would (if real) have realized when she was older and a mother herself that no parent could focus on the "safe" child while one was missing and possible being tortured or killed. I also got the idea that Kim was the most loved child by both parents while she was alive. That would have been the hardest thing for her IMO even more than being left alone (ignored) a lot in the early weeks. Later she was overprotected and seemed to miss her being ignored days.

I also think a "real Lindsay" would have felt a lot of guilt over crushing on her dead sister's boyfriend even during the search days and kind of using the situation to get/stay close to him.

[Elmerfletch]

I found it really interesting how, toward the end, Lindsay became so similar to Kim.  Not hating where she grew up but wanting to escape to a place of her making.  Not hating her parents but wanting to escape to where she could encounter them on her own terms. 

[jawilt26]

I loved Lindsey. I don't think she gave up quickly but she was realistic and knew after a certain point that Kim was never coming back. I felt for her the way her parents especially her mother treated her after the disappearance. But I am so glad that she turned out so great at the end of the book and was able to live the life she wanted to live without any doudts.

[Tarri]

Aside from JP, Lindsey was my favorite character.  I think she felt inadequate and unable to deal with being the center of attention, while losing all of the attention to her missing sister. 

[wbarker]

I am only about 1/3 of the way through the book, but I really like how the author has slowly brought out Lindsay.  She starts as the quiet younger sister, and as she determines that she wants to become her own person, not just the younger sister, she begins to take control of her circumstances and her parents allow her to be a bigger role in what is going on.   

I can't wait to see what she does next.

[KxBurns]

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Bonnie824 wrote:

Lindsay would (if real) have realized when she was older and a mother herself that no parent could focus on the "safe" child while one was missing and possible being tortured or killed. I also got the idea that Kim was the most loved child by both parents while she was alive. That would have been the hardest thing for her IMO even more than being left alone (ignored) a lot in the early weeks. Later she was overprotected and seemed to miss her being ignored days.

I also think a "real Lindsay" would have felt a lot of guilt over crushing on her dead sister's boyfriend even during the search days and kind of using the situation to get/stay close to him.

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Ooh, I'm glad you brought up Lindsay's interactions with J.P.

Does she really have a crush on him? Or is there something else going on? I interpreted her overtures toward J.P. differently -- I thought it was more like the way J.P. reaches out to Ed. A way to bond with someone that Lindsay (or J.P., in relation to Ed) perceives to have been closer to Kim than she was.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?...

[Tarri]

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KxBurns wrote:

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Bonnie824 wrote:

Lindsay would (if real) have realized when she was older and a mother herself that no parent could focus on the "safe" child while one was missing and possible being tortured or killed. I also got the idea that Kim was the most loved child by both parents while she was alive. That would have been the hardest thing for her IMO even more than being left alone (ignored) a lot in the early weeks. Later she was overprotected and seemed to miss her being ignored days.

I also think a "real Lindsay" would have felt a lot of guilt over crushing on her dead sister's boyfriend even during the search days and kind of using the situation to get/stay close to him.

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Ooh, I'm glad you brought up Lindsay's interactions with J.P.

Does she really have a crush on him? Or is there something else going on? I interpreted her overtures toward J.P. differently -- I thought it was more like the way J.P. reaches out to Ed. A way to bond with someone that Lindsay (or J.P., in relation to Ed) perceives to have been closer to Kim than she was.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?...

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I totally thought that Lindsay developed a crush on JP, perhaps she even had one before Kim's disappearance. 

[Jennd1]

I to liked the scene of Lindsay as the cup. I worked for my local library in college and we had an event where barney came to visit and I was Barney. Those suits are hot. It was the early nineties and the suit I was in didn't have a fan, or a great way for a 5 foot 4 girl to see well as a big purple dino. I loved the idea of Lindsay being able to be hidden in the suit and from the world and be herself. I liked seeing the transition that Nina made as well. The connection between Jp and Linsay is interesting, at the start I think they keep in touch as a way of holding on to things, then as lindsay changes her interactions with JP change as well.

Jenn D

[bookhunter]

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Tarri wrote:

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KxBurns wrote:

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Bonnie824 wrote:

Lindsay would (if real) have realized when she was older and a mother herself that no parent could focus on the "safe" child while one was missing and possible being tortured or killed. I also got the idea that Kim was the most loved child by both parents while she was alive. That would have been the hardest thing for her IMO even more than being left alone (ignored) a lot in the early weeks. Later she was overprotected and seemed to miss her being ignored days.

I also think a "real Lindsay" would have felt a lot of guilt over crushing on her dead sister's boyfriend even during the search days and kind of using the situation to get/stay close to him.

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Ooh, I'm glad you brought up Lindsay's interactions with J.P.

Does she really have a crush on him? Or is there something else going on? I interpreted her overtures toward J.P. differently -- I thought it was more like the way J.P. reaches out to Ed. A way to bond with someone that Lindsay (or J.P., in relation to Ed) perceives to have been closer to Kim than she was.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?...

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I totally thought that Lindsay developed a crush on JP, perhaps she even had one before Kim's disappearance. 

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It was weird to me that we only saw Lindsey's contact with JP through JP's POV.  I don't think we ever saw Lindsey talk/think about JP, did we?  That is why I couldn't get a good handle on how she really felt.

I think she was reaching out to JP to get close to Kim.  But maybe not.  Nina comments on recognizing that Lindsey had a crush on him. 

Lindsey is a smart girl, and doesn't seem prone to drama, so I am sure she was not SERIOUSLY pursuing JP as a REAL love interest...just to connect with Kim, and maybe a bit of a big brother crush. 

Ann, bookhunter

[the_mad_chatter]

Lindsay's chapters gave us good information about other characters in the book especially Fran and Ed.  In her chapters we learned a lot of what life used to be like and in so many ways I have judged Fran and Ed thru her eyes and subsequently thru their innattentiveness to her needs.  While you get the sense that Lindsay will move on and get on with her life, I also get the sense that she will carry a lot of baggage and its made me very sad for her.

[BookSavage]

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the_mad_chatter wrote:

Lindsay's chapters gave us good information about other characters in the book especially Fran and Ed.  In her chapters we learned a lot of what life used to be like and in so many ways I have judged Fran and Ed thru her eyes and subsequently thru their innattentiveness to her needs.  While you get the sense that Lindsay will move on and get on with her life, I also get the sense that she will carry a lot of baggage and its made me very sad for her.

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I think you make a good point here (although it may not have been the point you meant to make) that you learn more about the other characters in Lindsay's chapters than you do about Lindsay.  Once again I was frustrated with the lack of true development in her character just like I was frustrated in the way that JP was written.

[KxBurns]

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the_mad_chatter wrote:

Lindsay's chapters gave us good information about other characters in the book especially Fran and Ed.  In her chapters we learned a lot of what life used to be like and in so many ways I have judged Fran and Ed thru her eyes and subsequently thru their innattentiveness to her needs.  While you get the sense that Lindsay will move on and get on with her life, I also get the sense that she will carry a lot of baggage and its made me very sad for her.

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What an excellent observation -- it is through Lindsay that we get a sense for what the family was like before Kim's disappearance.

So did recognizing that the most harsh depictions of Fran and Ed (but particularly Fran) come from Lindsay's p.o.v. make you reassess your opinion of them in a more sympathetic light? Children of Lindsay's age can be harsh in their judgment of their parents' shortcomings...

Or did it make you view Fran and Ed even more critically?...