The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I’m not sure what this was supposed to be: A mystery? There’s nothing really mysterious here apart from the fact who Westing and his ex-wife might be. The “bomber” (whose motives I never fully understood)? That’s just plainly revealed at some point.

The writing itself might be a mystery because at times I felt like I read in some truly foreign language because the story as told by the narrator was interspersed with thoughts of the respective person we’re told about. It made for an immensely confusing and rather annoying reading experience.

The perspectives change all the time between the way-too-large cast of 16 (!) characters whom the author instils with the depth of a cardboard cut-out. If at least one or two of these had been likeable, interesting or at least relatable in some way but, no, they all remain shadowy at best.

In addition, there’s latent racism, defamation of people with disabilities and many other issues that can be attributed to the time this was first published – in 1978. None of that feels intentionally offensive but all of it adds to the general feeling that this book has aged really, truly badly.

One out of five stars.



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