Julia Medoff

Julia Medoff
Double
Jenny Valentine
Just Right
141

1. Chap, the boy who stole the life of Cassiel Roadnight, is slowly adjusting to his new life. When he arrived home from the hostel, his family greeted him with love and excitement. Chap, knowing nothing about Cassiel, did not know how to act around his family. He avoided any questions that could possibly lead the family in to thinking that this boy, was not their son. As the days went on, he slowly became more comfortable as Cassiel. Cassiel's older brother Frank, finally arrived home and was ecstatic to see him. Little did Chap know that before Cassiel went missing, Frank and Cassiel could not stand each other. Not knowing this previous tension, Chap decided to act as brotherly and normal as possible.  On some occasions, Edie, Cassiel's sister, who has the right to be curious, would ask Chap many questions about his disappearance. This hounding caused Chap anxiety because he did not know the answers to any of her questions. One day when Chap needed some air, he went walking in the woods, and came across one of his old school mates. This boy, Floyd, thought Cassiel was dead. Amazed to see him, Chap is hammered with questions. Floyd starts discusiing Cassiel's night of disappearance, which Chap knows little about. Floyd starts talking about some trouble Cassiel may have been in, he questions how being home with Frank has been, and he quickly spurts out information about the night of Cassiels disappearance. Chap, who is very confused, agrees to meet him later in town to have a more detailed conversation. When he arrives back home, he tells Edie about his confrontations with Floyd. Edie turns pale and Cassiel's mother, Helen, stops in her tracks. They both tell Chap to not go meet with Floyd, and that he is not a friend of his. Edie explains to Chap that Floyd made up a rumor that Cassiel truly was dead and was murdered by Frank. This sparks a new thought in Chap's mind that maybe Cassiel truly is dead. They instruct Chap to call Floyd and cancel there scheduled meeting, but while talking, he murmurs through the phone that he will try to make time to meet him another time. Chap, who was considering vanishing again, and removing himself from this tangled mess, knew he had to stay now and found out what Floyd has to say.

2. Recently, this book has been moving a tad slow. The majority of the book is made up of dialogue narrated by Chap. This has made it hard for me to really get to know the other characters in the book, and it is hard to predict exactly what they are thinking at points. The plot in the beginning and recently has been dull and boring. The author is definitely leading the readers up to a big moment, but I think she is holding off for too long, and making the readers unsure if anything even will happen. There have not been many twists or turns and little foreshadowing that could possibly cause a thought to arise that something may happen soon that could lead to a change in the book. While the characters have interesting traits,  they are not as developed as I think they could be. I am having trouble picking out a single theme that could encompass all that has happened so far in the book, because I have not read a story with such an irregular plot. By now, I would have thought more interesting events would have occurred. I think this book has a chance of improving and pulling the reader in.

3. The theme that I have noticed throughout the characters and plot line is temptation and destruction. This theme has been very prominent .  For example, when Chap decided to take Cassiel Roadnight's life, he did it because he was tempted. He had lived alone for so long, his only close friend had been his Grandad when he was younger. This was an opportunity for him to have a family and friends, a temptation that outweighed the risk. As he told the people at the hostel that he was Cassiel Roadnight, he entered a new life. He is leading this family on every day that their loved one is back, Cassiel is back. This is destruction, ruining the family. When and if the Roadnight family ever figures out the secret, they will be crushed. They will be hurt, and missing Cassiel, questioning if he will ever return. Chap is destroying the family and their lives.

4. My favorite character is Edie. She has been my favorite character since the beginning of the book, when she was first introduced. She has an honest personality, and the person who I feel has the best outlook on how "Cassiel" may be feeling since his arrival home. She has been considerate to Chap, and does not force answers out of him. From the minute Chap got to the home, he every so often has been bombarded with questions, which is understandable, but considering Chap's situation he does not have an answer to any of the questions. Edie understands that "Cassiel" may still be adjusting to his regular life, so she stays calm and does not demand any answers, no matter how eager she is to know. Edie is a very likable person, and Chap has taken a liking to her. He feels even though she has no idea who he is, they can have a normal "sibling" conversation. Since the narrator of the story is Chap, it is hard at times to really know what Edie may be thinking, but I am eager to continue reading and find out more about her character.

5. My least favorite character is Frank. Though he has just recently been introduced, he seems suspicious. As Edie drove Chap home from the hostel, she constantly talked to Chap about Frank, and eventually the reader found out that Cassiel and Frank do not get along well. The story has not yet revealed what happened between the brothers that could have caused tension, but I am interested in finding out. After Edie told Chap that Floyd sent a rumor streaming through the town that Frank killed Cassiel, I have doubts in his personality and background. Since Chap is not Cassiel Roadnight, this leads him to thinking that this mysterious rumor could possibly be true. After Cassiel's arrival home, Frank had been nice and kind, but I wonder if it is just an act. I am interesting in finding out more information about Frank, and discovering any secrets he may be holding. Overall, the book is leading me to think that not only could Frank have been involved in Cassiel's disappearance and possible death, but he could be a main suspect.

6. I predict that as the book continues, more information will be revealed about Cassiel's dissppaearnace that could lead to discovering that Frank is the killer. Since Chap is not Cassiel, and Floyd claims that he truly thought that Frank killed Cassiel, there are currently no leads about Cassiel and his possible death. This foreshadowing has given me many thoughts about who could have killed Cassiel and when. There has been little talk about this situation because it just recently came into the plot, so if this prediction is correct, then I assume the reader will not find out about it until much later on into the story. This outcome is critical in deciding Chap's future.