To what degree do you sympathize with Aunt Brenda's point of view? Do you think she did the right thing? How would you have reacted in her shoes?

Aunt Brenda is clearly the character who most reflects conventional viewpoints. To what degree do you sympathize with Aunt Brenda's point of view? Do you think she did the right thing? How would you have reacted in her shoes?

I do think Brenda loved her sister and her niece and nephew. However, she was overwhelmed by the reality of the situation and too emotional and stringent in her ways. I think she wanted to do the right thing, but couldn't admit that she shouldn't get involved. Then when she did get involved, she was fixated on her version of the events and did not truly listen to Wavy. It can be very hard to let go of how we think the world "should" be, but she definitely needed to do that. I had no problem with her making sure Wavy was educated, however it seemed unnecessary to destroy Kellen in the process. She took out her pain of having an addict as a sister, her eventual murder, and the dissolution of her marriage through her unrelenting vengeance on Kellen.

I don't sympathize with Aunt Brenda. Until the murder of her sister, she was minimally involved in her niece and nephew's lives. Knowing in some ways what their lives must have been like, she did not fight for them when they needed her the most. Her sister would have had no earthly idea if Brenda had shown up now and then to check on them. It didn't occur to her to ask the police to ever check on them. Did she send birthday cards? How many holidays did she include them in? As far as I am concerned, she abandoned her sister's children too. They were "book club material", the more scandalous the better. Maybe she felt guilty after the fact and overcompensated. She rushed in to "save" the day after Wavy had found a family that worked for her and loved her. Brenda took that away. Brenda owed Wavy the opportunity to talk about her relationship with Kellen.

I do not sympathize with Aunt Brenda because I would have gotten help for Wavy before this ever began. I wouldn't have turned my back on her knowing she was being neglected and abused. To come in after the fact and not care how Wavy felt about anything or even care enough to ask her what happened was unforgivable.

I could sympathize with Brenda in the beginning because she wanted her sister to do the right thing and she probably hoped that could happen. However, she should have followed up with Wavy's situation on a regular basis and involved social services when she saw the issues that she couldn't control on her own.

I'm with "acstrine" on this one.

I think a lot of peoples' knee-jerk reaction would be the same as Brenda's - to try to "save" her traumatized niece from what at first appearances is a sexual predator. If we didn't "know" Kellen and Wavy, I think most people with agree with her. Since the reader is privy to information Brenda isn't, it makes it a lot easier to understand their point of view than Brenda's. I think that's the downside of not getting to hear Brenda's voice, that we never truly understand what she's thinking & why she unnecessarily sacrifices her marriage.

Oh Brenda, I think you were more concerned with what your book club would think than Wavy's happiness. She did redeem herself in some ways, sacrificing her marriage and finally accepting as best she could Wavy's marriage. I usually root for the underdog and would hope I could see the big picture with Wavy and Kellen - they were the most loving people in each of their lives.

I sympathized and agreed at first. She at least was involved to a certain 'degree'. It was her husband that I thought was being a selfish pig. He did not want anything to do with the kids. As the story progressed, my sympathy severely lessened. Of course, because the reader has been encouraged to love Wavy and Kellen, how could (s)he sympathize with Aunt Brenda at all?

I do sympathize with Aunt Brenda but her actions were "too little to late". She did what she felt she could during Wavy's earlier years but overstepped after her sister was murdered. By that time, Wavy was an adult in everyway except for her age, and Brenda could not impose her will on the situation at that point. I was more upset that she abandoned Wavy's brother. His childhood could have been preserved.

I was sympathetic in the beginning when she was trying to help...and her husband was not on board with that at all. However, as the story progressed I didn't understand how she could make no effort to make sure the kids were okay. And in the end she decided she knew better than Wavy, despite having made no effort to understand her situation.

I sympathised with her in the beginning considering the pressure from her husband. But, her reactions some of the time frustrated me. I like to think that I as an aunt am always listening and hearing what is happening with my nieces and nephews. My reaction at first would have been the same. But, given Wavy's life and behavior, I would hope I wouldn't always act like I knew best. No one could ever understand what Wavy and Donal went througg.

Brenda turned her back when Wavy needed her the most. Knowing Wavy's situation she should have intervened sooner as opposed to later. Her actions were shellfish. She threw Wavy to the wolves and reappeared when the damage and chaos hit an apex. Brenda never had my sympathy.

Even though she invited her relatives to visit every year, she certainly did not want to be involved in helping them. One does not hear much about the two weeks. She probably wanted to protect her own family. Coming upon the murder of her sister must have really unnerved her and the seeing Wavy and Kellen together was just too much. Not really knowing the entire story of Wavy's life she was not able to understand or accept the relationship between her niece and Kellen but she did offer a home to Wavy, which was a help to her at this time. Since the author writes from some of her own experiences, I wonder if her relatives had a similar response to life style.