Dave Han’s Reviews > Montana 1948 > Status Update

Wesley refusing Julian’s demand to release Frank really stood out to me, because it’s one of the first times he openly goes against his father. It shows how serious the situation became. The house feels tense, and David can sense the fear and anger building. Wesley’s choice makes it clear that doing the right thing is starting to break the family apart, and I realized that Wesley chose justice over family royalty.

I felt sympathy toward Wesley’s situation. He arrested Frank to protect him from being embarrassed in front of other people, but Julian doesn’t care and demands that Wes let Frank go free. Julian refers to Frank as “my son,” which excludes Wes, and this was shocking to me because I also have two brothers. It made me think how Wesley felt when his father referred to Frank as “my son,” as if he only had one son.

I think Frank might have killed Marie because she is an Indian woman, and Frank molests Indian women to show his authority over others. Frank killed Marie to hide the cruel truth and maintain his power and perfect image. The story gives more hints, like Frank acting too calm. David also starts to notice the difficult situation Wesley faces between justice and loyalty.

David’s view of his family changes as he learns the truth. He must choose between justice and loyalty, and he chooses justice. When David kills the magpie with the gun Julian gave him, it symbolizes his transition from boy to man. The mix of power, sadness, exhilaration, and fear he feels shows adult emotions, showing that he is changing. Why did Julian give the gun to David? Does he want David to be the next Wes?

This part really shows how heavy silence can be in a family. David’s father struggles between justice and loyalty, and you can feel how painful that choice is. I’m starting to see how doing the right thing isn’t always clean or simple, it can hurt people you care about. The atmosphere feels tense and quiet, like everyone knows the truth but is scared to face it. Why is the mother hiding what Wesley is doing?

I was captivated on the father's reaction on his grandfather and Frank's speech. My guess is that he was jealous or angry about how the grandfather called Frank which caused the father to bend and pick up trash, demonstrating lack of care about a important celebration where everyone in the county is participating. I was interested that David is describing Frank as almost close to perfection, which made me wonder why?

Reading the start, the town feels super quiet and closed, like everyone knows something but no one says it. When David talks about how “nothing ever happens” in Bentrock, it actually makes the place feel more suspicious. The book shows the pressure from family and community to act “right". I was surprised by the fact that the father usually leaves his gun at his house.