Not Logged in.
Book Jacket

Cartwheel


"Cartwheel will upend you; rarely does a novel this engaging ring so true.
More about this book
Author Biography

How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

Created: 09/18/13

Replies: 10

Posted Sep. 18, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert

Join Date:

Posts: 0

How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

The author uses ambiguity to tell this story. How does that affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
elizabethm

Join Date: 06/05/12

Posts: 35

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

The ambiguity clearly leaves the reader without any clear idea of what happened. Did lilly in fact kill Katy? Was there something shady going on with their house father that resulted in Katy's death? Did Sebastien kill Katy in some sort of mentally ill fog? Did Katy run into trouble with someone she met at a night club? There were so many threads that were left hanging. The narrator I trust the most is Lilly's sister, but she doesn't actually know what happened so that was not very helpful.


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
bonnieb

Join Date: 09/11/11

Posts: 132

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I trusted Anna the most until I found out about the emails that Lily had sent to her. In actuality, after that, I don't think that any of the narrators were reliable.


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dorothyt

Join Date: 04/10/11

Posts: 102

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I didn't feel that anyone was reliable. Either they were mentally or emotionally unbalanced in some way, or they had their own agenda for the way they told their stories.


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
christy's Gravatar
christy

Join Date: 05/22/12

Posts: 41

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I'm with bonnieb and dorothyt. NONE of the narrators were capable of seeing from any other eyes but their own---and each narrator was flawed by her/his own vantage point.


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Erin G

Join Date: 05/24/12

Posts: 41

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I really loved this aspect of the book. Everyone saw Lily through their own filter: she was a clumsy but lovable child, or a coldhearted sociopath, or the object of skewed and obssessive love. No one had insight into what went on in her head, no one could say for certain what she was capable of, apparently not even Lily herself.


Posted Sep. 30, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
djn

Join Date: 05/19/11

Posts: 93

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I agree with Christy.


Posted Oct. 02, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
pennyp

Join Date: 03/22/12

Posts: 353

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I don't think anyone was totally unbiased or trustworthy, everyone came to the party with their own agenda.


Posted Oct. 03, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
iread49

Join Date: 04/10/13

Posts: 54

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I didn't think anyone was trustworthy. Believe it or not if I trusted anyone it would be Sebastian. Although he was mentally ill, I thought he basically told the truth except when he was protecting Lilly.


Posted Oct. 06, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
alisonf

Join Date: 01/31/13

Posts: 110

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

Anna was the closest to trustworthy, the parents knew Lily in a superficial way, Sebastien loved her, Eduardo wanted her punished, and Ignacio wanted to help his situation. Through these witnesses, I never got a good take on Katy. She is the victim but quite the question mark for sure.


Posted Oct. 06, 2013 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
lisag

Join Date: 01/12/12

Posts: 298

RE: How does the author's use of ambiguity to tell the story affect your understanding of what happened? Which character do you trust the most?

I agree with iread49. He was an odd character but I really believe Sebastien was honest. He didn't seem capable of deceit. That or he really had me fooled!


Reply

Please login to post a response.