The Westing Game: The Past Ain't Through With Us

I have no idea how many books I read when I was a kid.

Hundreds certainly, maybe a thousand. I know I stretched the limits of the Grand Prairie Public Library's children's section; everything that was worth reading, anyway. I can't remember half of it, and most of it wasn't that good.

I have very few of them left. Somewhere, back in the recesses of my closet, I have about fifty of the Weekly Reader books on U.S. history that I plan to pass on to the next generation; books with titles like "The Story of Old Glory" and "The Story of Pearl Harbor". I've got incredibly battered, well-worn copies of the Middle-Earth books. I've given away my copies of the Lloyd Alexander Prydain books, and I've gone through about six copies of R.A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (please, please ignore the movie of the same name). Most of the books I have left were college or law school acquisitions, everything from early American and Civil War history to the Aubrey-Maturin novels to Bill Watterston's Calvin & Hobbes collections to law school study guides to ponderous Tom Clancy tomes.

And I have a little paperback called "The Westing Game", with the cover half-torn off, that was given to me by my librarian godmother shortly after it won the Newberry Medal back in 1979.

The Westing Game is a different kind of children's book. It centers around, of all things, a will. It is the story of rich old Sam Westing, paper tycoon, who dies alone in his spooky old mansion on the shores of Lake Michigan one dark and misty Halloween night. It is the story of the Westing heirs, sixteen gloriously mismatched sets of partners, drawn into a slick, manipulative game. If the winning partners track down Uncle Sam Westing's murderer, (who is, we're told, one of the heirs) they will inherit the entire Westing fortune.

I won't spoil The Westing Game by introducing you to the cast of characters. You'll meet them all in good time. They're a diverse lot, far more so than you'll see in most children's books. And they're thrown together in these unlikely partnerships, each trying to outdo and outwit the other, which breed distrust, deceit and paranoia. What's more, each of the characters has a secret, something out of the past which they don't want revealed, some connection to Sam Westing that troubles their soul... and something that everyone else is just dying to know. Ricky Jay's character in Magnolia says that, "We may be through with the past, but the past sure ain't through with us." Nearly everyone in The Westing Game has a past, and deciphering that past is the key to solving the multiple riddles.

What's more, just about everyone lives in Sunset Towers, this big apartment/commercial building, and everyone keeps running into each other. Everyone's given a set of clues (printed on Westing paper towels, don't you know). Everyone's got their own interpretation of what they mean (you'll never guess) and everyone keeps trying to steal everyone else's clues. Throw in a whole set of additional mysteries (Who is setting off the bombs? Who keeps stealing watches and clocks? What's the deal with the woman who uses the crutches?), a whole slew of wordplay, some witty, clever writing, and you've got a children's book that even the most cynical adult can enjoy.

There are dangers in playing The Westing Game. There is, I feel, just a hint of stereotype in the presentation of the Chinese-American characters, maybe a touch of syrup in the portrayal of the character that uses a wheelchair. There is a serious danger that your child may want to grow up to be a stockbroker, or (even worse) a lawyer. There is always a lurking danger that Hollywood may buy the screen rights and muck the whole thing up good.

However, The Westing Game is still a great read for you and your kids. I cannot recommend it too highly, and I hope to get to read it to my kids one day.

This is a reposted review, appearing earlier on Epinions in much the same format. (Movie reviews by this author that formerly appeared on this site are available at txreviews.com.