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A review by justinkhchen
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
4.0
4 stars
An eccentric, but endearing ensemble mystery, I'm 100% onboard with calling The Westing Game a classic; even though it is targeted towards young adults, the story is truly an ageless, timeless joy for those who enjoy a wacky whodunit.
I come to realize I'm very tolerable regarding large cast in books, so The Westing Game's just shy of 20 primary characters isn't a point of complaint — in fact Ellen Raskin is excellent at making each individual distinct and memorable, and the amount of diversity is a pleasant surprise for something written in the 70s (yes, some character setup / description might be a bit passé reading today, but nothing off-color).
Slapstick and hijinks is the name of the game, The Westing Game is by no means an exercise in realism, and as a mystery it is more of a passive experience, letting its silly internal logic reveals the connection, instead of providing clues for the reader to solve puzzles alongside. While I had a lot of fun devouring the first half, I was in a bit of an antics fatigue during its third quarter (the plot was at a standstill), but the last quarter pulled through with the reveal, and became unexpectedly poignant (who knew I would get emotionally attached to these cartoonish characters!).
If you're in the mood for a Knives Out-like experience, this one is definitely worth considering!
An eccentric, but endearing ensemble mystery, I'm 100% onboard with calling The Westing Game a classic; even though it is targeted towards young adults, the story is truly an ageless, timeless joy for those who enjoy a wacky whodunit.
I come to realize I'm very tolerable regarding large cast in books, so The Westing Game's just shy of 20 primary characters isn't a point of complaint — in fact Ellen Raskin is excellent at making each individual distinct and memorable, and the amount of diversity is a pleasant surprise for something written in the 70s (yes, some character setup / description might be a bit passé reading today, but nothing off-color).
Slapstick and hijinks is the name of the game, The Westing Game is by no means an exercise in realism, and as a mystery it is more of a passive experience, letting its silly internal logic reveals the connection, instead of providing clues for the reader to solve puzzles alongside. While I had a lot of fun devouring the first half, I was in a bit of an antics fatigue during its third quarter (the plot was at a standstill), but the last quarter pulled through with the reveal, and became unexpectedly poignant (who knew I would get emotionally attached to these cartoonish characters!).
If you're in the mood for a Knives Out-like experience, this one is definitely worth considering!