4A Independent Reading discussion

The last third of this book was weirdly touching, yet disturbing. Chyna escaped from the psychotic man, Vess, after he went to work. He asked her to help torture Ariel, but Chyna refused. There were huge, aggressive dogs guarding the outside of the house, so she got on protective gear and used ammonia to get through the dogs and to a vehicle. Later on, they're driving and flag down a police car, and Vess happened to be driving it. What are the odds!! After a bit of a brawl, they manage to burn Vess alive since he was soaked with gasoline(after crashing their vehicle into his). This was quite disturbing. "Edlger Vess was wearing boots of fire, screaming and stamping his feet as great sheets of flame were flung up from the blacktop around him." (pg. 427) After this event, a sense of relief swept over. It was finally over. Chyna ended up adopting Ariel which was really sweet. I guess after you save someone's life like that, it'd be hard just to send them to an adoption agency. Chyna is such a brave and amazing character throughout the book. The book ends rather open-endedly, leaving you philosophical things to thing about. "And now she knows it is nothing that should have frightened her. It is the purpose for which we exist. This reckless caring." (pg. 436) After an experience like this, how do you go back to normal?

I'd recommend this book to people who can read about the mind games without wincing. It was interesting to want to stop reading this book because of its gruesome nature, but also not wanting to put the book down.

I love those kind of books where you can't stop reading. This book sounds like fun to read and very interesting.

this sounds like it would fit the description of a gruesome book, and has a nice way to wrap it up and yeah how would you go back to normal after you have seen and done the things you have done. i don't think anyone can really do that.