Maryanne answers “Just finished the book and am having a...”

Laurie Bublick asked this question about Commonwealth:

Just finished the book and am having a "fight" with my other friends. I say that Cal died when Caroline shot him to cover up for the fact that he died of a bee sting since he had run out of his Benedryl. Other members felt he died ONLY from the bee sting. Who is correct?

Maryanne My view: much of the book is written from the perspective of the young children. Since their parents were not very good at the parenting thing, or the…moreMy view: much of the book is written from the perspective of the young children. Since their parents were not very good at the parenting thing, or the communicating thing, not only were they often left to their own (limited!) devices, very little of what was happening was ever actually explained to them. They had tremendous guilt about the gun being in Cal's possession and carried that burden with them through adulthood. Carolyn told them to keep quiet about what happened -- as a child herself, she didn't know what happened and feared she and they had caused Cal's death. They did not. Cal died from a bee sting. Although their childish naivete gives the author a tool with which to build suspense, this is not a cheap plot device -- being children, the characters really never fully understood what had happened to Cal. Thus they were ultimately -- and needlessly -- haunted their entire lives. They didn't realize that in the beginning, Albi wasn't a troublemaker -- he was just a little kid. And like all other kids needed parental supervision. Caroline wasn't a Nazi officer. She was a strong-willed young girl, doing the best she could in uncertain circumstances. Like Albi, she also needed a stronger, guiding hand. Was Teresa at fault? She was raising four kids with no help from their father. Was Beverly to blame? She was often raising six kids, also often on her own. (Although leaving Fix for Bert indicates she was drawn to his looks and swagger, definitely not something her character could be proud of) This story seems to be about the sweeping effects of neglect and abandonment, largely though not entirely, rooted in Bert's egotistical and self-centered ways. (less)

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