Quarter 2, Post 3: Yellow Dog Island

I have read to page 81 this week in The Lace Reader, and so much more has already happened! Towner and her brother have just taken a boat to a remote island off the coast of Salem to visit their family. Towner describes the islanders as “people who like to be left alone”. This does not surprise me because Towner’s mother lives on this island and she certainly isn’t a social person. After waiting a while for someone to notice them on the boat and pull up the dock, they climb on to the land. There are only a few buildings on the island, and Towner’s aunt comes running out of one of them. She grabs Towner and starts to cry, “I knew you’d come,” and “I told her so.” This confuses Towner and knowing that her aunt isn’t very stable, she begins to think that her aunt thinks that she is her sister, Lyndley. This is concerning because Lyndley died a few years ago. Towner begins to worry that her aunt is in worse shape then she thought, but when she calls her Towner she is relieved. Her aunt takes her to her mom and they speak to each other for the first time in years. They don’t have a huge emotional meeting like I would imagine they would, and there is a lot of tension between Towner and everyone on the island.

This section of the novel was all very strange and awkward. Even the way it was written was different and choppier than the rest of the book. I really like this part, though, because I could really feel how Towner was feeling as she met her family again and I demonstrated the day’s emotions well. I am beginning to really enjoy the way that the author, Brunonia Barry, writes, and I am starting to really get into the plot as well.                  

Quarter 2, Post 2: The Mystery of Eva

So far I have read to page 38 in The Lace Reader, and it is already very exciting. At the beginning of the novel the characters of Towner, and young woman, and Eva, her grandmother, are introduced. Beezer, Towner’s brother, is also introduced. One of the first things that happens in the novel is that Eva is reported missing from her home. Towner, in shock of this news, goes to Eva’s house to help with the investigation. As soon as she arrives, she finds Eva sitting in her house perfectly fine. Towner is confused by this, but is relieved to see her grandmother again and falls asleep for the night. However, in the morning she wakes up to a knock at the door. Her brother Beezer and two police come in and report to her that Eva’s body has been found and identified. Towner instantly goes into shock again. She runs through the house searching for her grandmother but finds nothing.

I am really enjoying this book so far, because I love mysteries and surprises in books, and I have already come across two in the first few chapters. I also love when books touch on very real and present day issues. I can already tell that this book will be about loosing someone you love and family, as well as the mystery of Eva, but there has to be more to it. Maybe Towner never saw Eva at all and Towner is the insane one. Or, maybe it will be one of those stories where she is right all along but nobody will listen to her. There is also a possibility that Towner saw Eva’s ghost! I do not even have a clue as to which one of these will happen, or if it will be something completely different that I never suspected, but I am very excited and anxious to find out!

 

Towner Whitney

For my second quarter blogging I have decided to read a novel titled “The Lace Reader” by Brunonia Barry. My mom had just finished reading it and loved it so much I decided I had to give it a try. I wasn’t completely sure if I would enjoy it when I started, but as soon as I read the first word I was hooked. So far I have read to Chapter 3, but the quote I would like to discuss for today comes from the first page. In fact, it was the very first line.

“My name is Towner Whitney. No, that’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.” Then this person (Towner? Sophya?) goes on to say, “I am a crazy woman… That last part is true.” (page 1)

As soon as I read this short passage I stopped, paused, and re-read it again. I was confused as to why the author would begin the book by confusing the reader as to what the main characters real first name is. It seemed odd to me, but as I continued to read I found that her given name is Sophya and that she legally changed it to Towner after her mother was arrested. I also learned a little bit about why she calls herself a crazy woman. Towner (as they mostly refer to her in the book, although they do go back and forth) believes that all the women in the past generations of her family have been crazy, and that she follows that “tradition” more than anyone before her had. Now that I comprehend what the first passage was conveying, I understand why Barry would start off his novel in such a way. I believe that he was introducing the main character in a way that would make you think deeper about her right away, rather than just listing off her physical appearance. Although it confused me at first, I like this opening line and I firmly believe it is what got me so intrigued in the novel in the first place. I am already enjoying the plot and cant wait to read more!