All The Ugly and Wonderful Things: Part 1/ Chapters 7 to 9 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

While Kellen makes himself a regular in Wavy’s life, we’re reminded he maybe one of the few good things in her life.

Chapter Summaries (with Commentary)

Chapter 7: Kellen – November 1977

In this chapter, Kellen and Wavy’s kinship becomes a bit more public and a bit more known to others. For with him purchasing boots for her, and a helmet for when she is on his bike, so establishes that their relationship is long term.

{Commentary}

I’m so far past this chapter now, but I got to admit that while I feel a bit uneasy about things as they are in part two, what I question with just looking over my notes is: why is the one thing Val is mad about is her daughter not riding the bus? Though, perhaps the thing which bugs me, many chapters later, is Val’s downfall into this person who barely cares about her kids and life is a whirlwind is never unfurled. Granted, she probably is bipolar, legitimately, and the drugs don’t probably help her mental state at all, but how did she get to the point, in her own words, has always been a story I’ve waited for.

 

Focusing on the Kellen and Wavy thing, it’s kind of strange how with them about a little more than a decade apart age wise, they get along so well. I mean, him taking care of her like that is his daughter is an odd thing to me. If he was 40+ years old you could write it off as him never getting around to having kids and so he is taking up time with this kid who obviously doesn’t have the parents she deserves. However, with him still being young, and often explained to be the size of a wrestler or football player, it’s an odd David and Goliath matchup.

Chapter 8: Wavy – May 1978

With the summer rolling around, Wavy fears that with Kellen not having to take her to school she may lose him. So, since he is a big guy and likes to eat, she pulls out her grandmother’s cookbook and cooks for him. Problem is, Liam catches wind of someone cooking and joins the family for dinner. Leading to a confrontation between him and Wavy since she still doesn’t like eating in front of people, thanks to Val [2]. However, as Kellen starts to take on a big brother role he manipulates Liam’s anger and tells a story about his dad forcing him to eat making him as big as he is. Thus placating Liam enough to calm the situation and likely lead to Wavy liking him even more.

{Commentary}

Like with Val, even in later chapters, Liam is a bit of a mystery. It’s clear the man has a temper, and a complex about feeling disrespected yet, like a poor man’s Donald Trump, talk him that right way and you can get what you want with ease. All you got to do is make things seem like his idea, like he is the big man even if you did all the work. But perhaps what tickled me the most about this is that Liam doesn’t live with Val and pretty much has anyone and everyone but him do regular things like grocery shopping.

 

I mean, while we learn he is a slightly big time employer in the area, with just about any girl he could want fawning over him, I find this whole setup so amusing. His side chicks are bringing food for his wife and children. His daughter is taking care of the house and taking care of her little brother, and she isn’t even a teenager yet, and then this big old Native American is playing daddy to his little girl. I mean, I’m pretty sure this is fiction but this whole scenario sounds so ridiculous that I wouldn’t be surprised if this was someone’s life.

Chapter 9: Wavy

As chapter 8 established how much Liam isn’t there, and often Val isn’t mentally present, this chapter establishes the relationship between Val and Liam’s girls. One in which she seems to see herself as the alpha female and she just tolerates the others. Though it also reinforces the idea that the kids are strictly there to be a reminder of what she has, and not to necessarily be taken care of by her.

{Commentary}

As of now, I don’t see anything about a movie or even TV show adaptation, but I do hope that between FX, HBO, or Netflix, they’d take this on. I think it would fit their brands of dark, kind of twisted, yet have these oddly placed happy moments in between. For really, this book doesn’t seem like the type which can just live on the pages of a dead tree or ebook forever. It has to transcend into visual form.

 

But, speaking on this chapter, I just find the idea of Val storming into where Liam’s girls seem to gather and her talk about how she is the wife and she isn’t standing anywhere that her husband owns, so hilarious. For, seemingly long periods of time, ain’t no one thinking about Val. Liam isn’t, these women aren’t, and arguably Wavy couldn’t be bothered either. Yet, suddenly, without warning, she can be a spitfire and is strutting and commanding attention and respect. To say the least, it tickles the hell out of me.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

[1] Donal is two, as of Chapter 8.

[2] As noted in the Chapters 1 to 3 overview/ review.