WOOLY!

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    • June 30, 2023 at 12:23 pm #610
      Nancy Bethel
      Participant
        @nancybethel

        For me, Wooly committing suicide was extremely emotional.  Handicapped people are so discriminated against!  I wished so badly that he could have gone with Emmett, and been with people who accepted him. I’ve talked to others who thought his death was sad, but necessary in the context of the book and the ending of the book. What did you think?

      • June 30, 2023 at 5:18 pm #633
        Stacy Asell
        Participant
          @mrsasell

          I don’t want to say it was necessary for the author to have Wooly complete suicide, but in my mind it works for the story.  Although I also wish he would have been able to go to CA with Billy and Emmett.  But I think he just felt so trapped and helpless under the power of Dennis.  And despite his family taking him on European trips, I think he largely felt restricted by them.  He didn’t really get to explore even NYC until he was out from under their influence.  So when Dennis told him he was going to get Wooly a job, that’s when Wooly lost all hope for having a life worth living.  So sad.

        • June 30, 2023 at 5:25 pm #638
          Stacy Asell
          Participant
            @mrsasell

            What I really loved about Duchess was how well he took care of Wooly.  He was very patient and caring with him.  Duchess had a lot of good qualities but his death in this story worked for me too.  If he had lived, I think his criminal activities would’ve gotten worse because it was too easy for him to justify his bad decisions to himself.

          • July 2, 2023 at 7:10 am #665
            Nancy Bethel
            Participant
              @nancybethel

              That is interesting! A judge in our bookclub thought Duchess was a sociopath! I did not think that, but I thought he made poor decisions, and was too violent.

            • July 14, 2023 at 2:23 pm #800
              Jeanne
              Participant
                @jeanne

                It was very sad, but it also explained so much. I thought a great deal of the story was addressing how people deal with the hand they’re dealt. Are you trapped? Is there a positive way forward – which Emmitt always seemed to be looking for -?

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