Robin Lee’s Reviews > Montana 1948 > Status Update

The ending of the story was shocking but also very confusing. The part where Frank killed himself was surprising and sad. However, the ending seemed rushed and it could have explained more about what happened next. It felt like he put all the excess information in the epilogue. So many changes happened like how the Hayden family left Montana, but it was not shown as an important part of the story.

I was impressed at this point of the story because of the brave act of Gail. I love how Gail tries not to let Julian's men to free Frank even though she isn't the sheriff or has any legal duty she has. I figured that when Wesley is having a hard time doing his sheriff work, Gail always works as the center of the family and leads them. The way Gail is awkwardly holding the shotgun also seems intentional by the author.

I was surprised and also happy about how Wesley put Frank in jail. Although it wasn't technically jail, I was proud of Wesley to find him actually doing his job as a sheriff. In addition, Wesley could not stand up for himself against Frank, but he finally did and arrested Frank, showing how he has developed. I think that he realizes that Julian will eventually show up, but still puts Frank in custody.

I was genuinely proud of David for finally stepping up and talking to his parents about what he has seen. I feel uncomfortable because of the fact that Uncle Frank seems to have killed Marie Little Soldier, but no one has noticed except for David. I never would have thought that David would be the one to step up and talk about it, since he was always hiding that he knew things about Uncle Frank and looked innocent.

Something I found interesting was the conversation between Gail and Wes in the car. The fact that David was pretending to sleep was also shocking showing how David's innocence is slowly peeling away. The conversation between Gail and Wes was interesting to me since Gail was more like a "sheriff" than Wes. He considered the situation with Frank a big deal and thought that Frank needed a worse punishment.

I was surprised to see that Uncle Frank was actually having sex with Native American girls even when he was a small boy. His obsession with "red meat" is finally shown and made me found out more about how Uncle Frank's obsession even started. Until now, I haven't heard much about Frank or Wesley's past and I think their past will be a key part of this story. In addition, I still don't know why Wesley is so timid.

Seeing David’s perspective of his family is very discomforting. Uncle Frank looks like a good person outside but he is clearly hiding something, and the tension with Marie is noticeable. The way David sees or hears things adults try to hide makes the story have more tension. I feel curious about the secret behind Marie and Uncle Frank.

Seeing David’s perspective of his family is very discomforting. Uncle Frank looks like a good person outside but he is clearly hiding something, and the tension with Marie is noticeable. The way David sees or hears things adults try to hide makes the story have more tension. I feel curious about the secret behind Marie and Uncle Frank.

I thought that the first few pages would just show life of the narrator and his family in Montana, but the tone already feels a bit gloomy. I felt surprised that the narrator thought that his childhood ended and that his life changed in the summer of 1948. This expression makes me intrigued and makes me want to know what could have changed him so much.