Monday: Chapters 20 through 22

[KxBurns]

Well thanks, twj!

And Johanna, I'm sure you've already seen it, but there's info about the next First Look over in the News & Updates thread. You'll have to wait to find out what it is, though

[m3girl]

Hitting the home stretch - and hoping to get my questions answered....

Chapter 20:

So Ginny figured out the right concentration?  She thinks Vi is dead...so she has to have some knowledge of the concentrations and how to do the calculations (as she leads us to believe) otherwise maybe she just dumped it in and got 'lucky'.

I do like her obsession with the clocks and the correct time....perhaps she really is just nuts (still that would not explain how her family treated and abandoned her).

I find it interesting that her only concern is that she hadn't been in that part of the house for 47 years - not that she would come upon her dead sister!

I like how she tucks the cyanide up her sleeve - who is she hiding it from?  The ghosts?  It's the middle of the night...

I think this book is a good example of narrator believability - how much should you believe what the narrator says?  Maybe my problems understanding her family's treatment of her is just because her interpretation of the facts is not necessarily the fact/truth.  I find that possibility quite frustrating.

Chapter 21

Continuing on from my last statements - did she really help her father with the moth research?  Or was she a low level assistant that cleaned the cages and did other tasks like that and not the real research?

I like the way she justifies the murder of her sister..."none of this is my fault and that it's all out of my hands."  Maybe she is nuts - maybe this is the first time she actually does something for herself???  Have no idea.  Vi is so trusting of her sister...and that is interesting.  She has no idea how her sister feels.  There is a good teaser at the end of the chapter when the police car shows up....that was rather fast...

Chapter 22

How can she forget to eat?  I know I can't ever forget to eat...but I do know that others can get so busy they do forget to eat - so that is not any clarification on her mental/physical state - doesn't answer my questions.

I like the fact that the tea is made with the poisoned milk from the refrigerator!!  Wouldn't that be odd if someone else dies by accident?  Will she get caught?

[maude40]

I love the paragraphs on pages 240 and 241 where Ginny tells us she's killed Vivien. Her "famously analytic and scientific mind" then goes on to think of all she has to do to prepare the funeral, who to call, what friends to invite, what biscuits to serve. It's almost comical if she wasn't so pitiful. Yvonne

[maude40]

In chapter 21 Ginny's scientific musings next to her ramblings of committing murder are a wonderful contrast. Ginny has drifted in and out of the real world for some time. These contrasts keep me wondering---Is she aware of reality or is she slipping further into the abyss of her mental illness. I love this book. Yvonne

[KxBurns]

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m3girl wrote:

Hitting the home stretch - and hoping to get my questions answered....

Chapter 20:

So Ginny figured out the right concentration?  She thinks Vi is dead...so she has to have some knowledge of the concentrations and how to do the calculations (as she leads us to believe) otherwise maybe she just dumped it in and got 'lucky'.

I do like her obsession with the clocks and the correct time....perhaps she really is just nuts (still that would not explain how her family treated and abandoned her).

I find it interesting that her only concern is that she hadn't been in that part of the house for 47 years - not that she would come upon her dead sister!

I like how she tucks the cyanide up her sleeve - who is she hiding it from?  The ghosts?  It's the middle of the night...

I think this book is a good example of narrator believability - how much should you believe what the narrator says?  Maybe my problems understanding her family's treatment of her is just because her interpretation of the facts is not necessarily the fact/truth.  I find that possibility quite frustrating.

Chapter 21

Continuing on from my last statements - did she really help her father with the moth research?  Or was she a low level assistant that cleaned the cages and did other tasks like that and not the real research?

I like the way she justifies the murder of her sister..."none of this is my fault and that it's all out of my hands."  Maybe she is nuts - maybe this is the first time she actually does something for herself???  Have no idea.  Vi is so trusting of her sister...and that is interesting.  She has no idea how her sister feels.  There is a good teaser at the end of the chapter when the police car shows up....that was rather fast...

Chapter 22

How can she forget to eat?  I know I can't ever forget to eat...but I do know that others can get so busy they do forget to eat - so that is not any clarification on her mental/physical state - doesn't answer my questions.

I like the fact that the tea is made with the poisoned milk from the refrigerator!!  Wouldn't that be odd if someone else dies by accident?  Will she get caught?

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I think the poisoned milk sitting in the fridge is a wonderful touch -- knowing it's there adds an additional layer of suspense kind of when you least expect it.

[KxBurns]

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maude40 wrote:

I love the paragraphs on pages 240 and 241 where Ginny tells us she's killed Vivien. Her "famously analytic and scientific mind" then goes on to think of all she has to do to prepare the funeral, who to call, what friends to invite, what biscuits to serve. It's almost comical if she wasn't so pitiful. Yvonne

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I agree -- at this point in the story it's pretty clear that this idea of Ginny being the scientific, level-headed one is complete fiction! Her description of herself bears no resemblance to her actions or even her thoughts. Do you think this has always been the case or has she gone off the deep end since Vivi came home?