Question H

[Jonetta]

Tom McDonald promised a more equitable and fair community as it pertained to policing but his followers seemed to exhibit an embrace of lawlessness. Are those the type of people who would be attracted to this proposition? What attracted Owen? Do you think he would have eventually come to his senses without having witnessed Tom murder Jack and “sentence” Cade to death? How do you explain his lack of action when he realized two of Tom’s men attacked Mercy on the highway?

[Charlene]

They either actually believed Tom's propaganda, or they thought they would be on top of the heap with him, I think.

While I was reading, I really disliked Owen at this part of the story.

[Sharon]

Owen is an interesting character. I wish Elliott developed him a little more so we would know his thought processes. With what we know, I don't think he would stand back and allow his extreme policies to continue too much longer.

Regardless of how angry he is with Mercy, his family respects women even if they believe women need to follow the direction of the male parent. The Kirkpatrick's are angry that Mercy wanted action against the attackers of Rose and Mercy. In their minds, she was disrespecting her father's authority.

Regarding the men who attacked Mercy on the highway, Owen was processing that information and what it means about Tom and his followers. Owen knows he can't take on the group alone, so he needs to plan the best way to address their actions.

[Jonetta]

I’m extremely conflicted about Owen. Sharon, I appreciate the distinctions you offer about the Kirkpatrick men and find them helpful. That understanding further confuses me about Owen. He witnessed a lot that defied his family’s beliefs leading up to Jack’s murder. He seemed to be shifting, evidenced by him calling the state police about the dynamite. But, he also witnessed Cade being “sentenced to death” for something he’d done. It could have all been avoided if he’d acted sooner, maybe even telling his father.

Getting his point of view would have been helpful but his actions told me a lot about him. He put self before doing the right thing by the moral code he professed to have.

[Sharon]

Jonetta I see you really don't like Owen at all. It will be interesting to see if you change your mind in the future.

[Jonetta]

No, Sharon, at this stage I really don’t. I’m always open to redemption, as I’m a sucker for that. He just betrayed a lot of people, including himself and I’m looking for more than, “I’m sorry.”

[Robin]

I hope we see more of Owen in this series. I think he can be redeemed. He called the police about the dynamite that was being stored at the compound. (At the time it didn't even cross my mind that he had done it.) I think that at that point, he was questioning his role in MacDonald's community. When MacDonald killed the realtor and blackmailed Owen into keeping quiet, I figured he'd come up with a plan. I think he was being watched closely and couldn't leave the camp to warn anyone or talk to his father.

[Sharon]

I forgot about the dynamite call. I'm sure that is why he was worried about the way they were treating Cade.

[Jonetta]

See my comment in #4 about the dynamite call.

[Sharon]

Jonetta wrote: "See my comment in #4 about the dynamite call."

I read your early comment wrong and more hopeful that Owen was coming around. Obviously I was putting my own spin on it. LOL I don't know why I keep glazing over on the dynamite. It was a significant event in the story.

[Jonetta]

I’m still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt but he’s got to do more.

[Robin]

He's definitely got to do more before he is considered redeemed in my eyes. But, I think he can do it.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

I'm with Jonetta on this one. It took a lot for Owen to start to turn himself around. His opinion and his father's on blaming Mercy on what happened is ludicrous. The blame is squarely on the perpetrator, have they forgotten what he did to Mercy and Rose. I just don't get it. They're so deep into their suspiciousness, negativity and male power they're not rational. Fair enough if they want to prepare for TEOTWAWKI but what comes with it is not a lifestyle I'd want to be part of.

Interested to see how and if the author makes me shift my opinion on Owen and the prepper characters in general.

[Christina T]

I think Owen had already been thinking something hinky was going on and was going to just leave but then Tom pretty much blackmailed him. Since he blamed the police/FBI and Mercy for Levi's death he was willing to embrace the self policing community Tom was purporting to begin with. As things started unraveling on Tom the more Owen was second guessing if Tom's community was for him.

I was drawing connections to a book I read last year by Lee Child called Die Trying. There was a group similar to Tom's but the leader did a much better job of gathering people to his cause. Tom wasn't choosy enough. He chose men who were basically anarchists with records who believed all their problems were caused by the police not their own actions. These men were not capable of the kind of discipline required for long term success. In Die Trying the leader was even more dictator like but his men were trained like soldiers not Joe Dirt with a shotgun.