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Tom · Last edited by Tom on November 15 2007, 12:44 PM; edited 1 time in total

In this part of our reading, we discover who murdered Wellington. Were you shocked when the solution was revealed? Do you think it would have been better if Haddon had written the book so that Christopher had solved the case?

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jennifergg · Posted: November 15 2007, 10:42 AM Post subject:

This is an excellent question, to me! I was shocked that the person who did it, did it, and it didn't really sit well with me. The explanation given didn't really feel true, and I found it confusing, but I dismissed it, again, because at this point I'm back to my reading-and-accepting mode.

But. I love that you bring up the discovery of the truth, and yes, I would have much preferred that Christopher be the one to do it, on his own. I think he's perfectly capable of making such a deduction and I would have liked to have read that scene. And to be inside his thinking as he began to realize it, and to be there too when he decides to confront the person. This was, perhaps, a missed opportunity by Haddon to further share the workings of Christopher's mind.

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Tom · Posted: November 15 2007, 11:06 AM Post subject:

This was a surprise to me but not a complete surprise. If you recall, Christopher's father had hit Christopher earlier in the story. This reveals a violent streak in him that he can't always control.

And I agree that it would have been better if Christopher had solved the mystery. But I don't think Christopher could have confronted the guilty party. I think he would have fled as soon as he realized who did it.

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LeeJo · Posted: November 15 2007, 12:44 PM Post subject:

Right, I think it was written this way to enable the confrontation between Christopher and his father, otherwise the confrontation would not have fit well.

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ecki · Posted: December 07 2007, 8:55 AM Post subject:

At first I wasn't even sure if the father had done it or was just trying to say something to get Christopher to stop investigating, so I was a bit surprised. I don't know if Christopher would have ever come to that conclusion on his own. Everything to him is black and white -- no gray. Without the admission I don't think he would have been able to reconcile that his father could do something so bad.

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