House Rules - Chapter 3 (pgs 90-146)

I read Chapter 3 on Friday night so I'm going with the flipping through the pages, skimming, and commenting method again. It was a long chapter but it felt like a shorter read than Chapter 2. I remember thinking after I read it that I didn't have have as much to comment on as I did on Chapter 2 so hopefully this is a shorter post. I do want to hurry up and get it posted so I can read Chapter 4.

The case opening Chapter 3 is titled Bragged, Taunted, "Kaught". I can't see how that relates to this chapter. Thoughts? I thought a possible link might be to the previous chapters in that Jacob solved the case of the man who died by hypothermia and Rich eventually found out who Jacob was, but it's not a very good link.

As soon as Rich starts commenting on the neighborhood where Jess is house sitting for her professor, I just know that's the house Theo broke into and Jess is the girl he saw. I think then that maybe Jacob saw Theo leave Jess' place then walked in on Jess dead and that's why he melted down. But he wasn't scared or angry with Theo so if he did see Jess dead, he knew his brother well enough to know he didn't kill her. Or he knew Theo did kill her but that it was an accidental death (knew by forensic science) and he's covering up for Theo. Then there is the mug with the tea bag in it and I know for sure that that is the house that Theo broke into and Jess is the girl he saw.

Jacob fingerprints something of Jess'. I suspect it's her iPod. His suspicions are confirmed. I think he finds Theo's fingerprints. If they were Mark's, I think he'd turn it in. Then he hides it. Theo's prints will be on the tea mug and other things in the house though.

Theo clearly doesn't know Jess is dead or was hurt. So she wasn't when he left after seeing her naked.

Rich is definitely interested in Emma. He likes that she's single and he compliments her.

Did Jacob take the stuff in the backpack because it was incriminating towards who killed Jess or because he wanted her stuff to remember her. Is the stuff in the backpack the odd stuff that Rich and Mark thought wasn't what she'd take if she left on her own.

The alphabetical CD tower is explained. And it seems that Jacob took the backpack to investigate further. He hands it over to Rich and want to know what he finds. Maybe Jacob doesn't know what happened after all. He just knows Theo was there, and likely had nothing to do with it. Maybe he saw Theo drop the iPod as Theo left. Rich finds the boot print.

Jacob has Jess' body. He moved it from the crime scene. He should know better. Why did he move it. He's surprised Rich hasn't found it yet. He gives Jess a blanket. Somehow Rich is going to figure out that Jacob was there. Rich will know someone was there because the cel phone was off but now it's on and someone called 911 from it.

House Rules - Chapter 2 (pgs 38-89)

I read chapter 2 late last night and could not stop reading. This is definitely the kind of book that is hard to break away from. I'm going to kind of flip through and skim the chapter again and put down my comments as I do. Yesterday, I read the chapter earlier then commented a few hours later and could remember most of what I wanted to say. This chapter also seemed longer or maybe just more packed with stuff.

So the case at the beginning of this chapter is called Irony 101, which is evident both in the case and in something Emma says that I find very telling. "Isolation. A fixation on one particular subject. An inability to connect socially. Jacob was the one diagnosed, but I might as well have Asperger's, too." Even though Jacob is the one with the disability, his disability is a disables the family to some extent. Emma devotes her life to providing the education/skills Jacob needs to learn, Theo gets less of a parent than he should.

I thought the quip about Emma having show on the Food Network was funny, but true. Diet plays a major part in managing Autism and I like that Jodi is educating people with her novel as well. I think everyone is free to think what they would like, make their own decisions, and I would not argue with anyone who disagreed but I do not think vaccines cause autism. I do think Jodi did a good job laying out the facts the subject and the emotion on why a mother would think that vaccines caused autism in her child. I liked Jacob going to the prom. He asked 83 girls and held the door open for his date then sat in the backseat. =)

I thought Theo seemed a lot more realistic as a teenage boy in this chapter, trying the wine and changing the DVR settings, but a more responsible one, changing the DVR setting back and trying to leave the house as it was. He's probably more responsible because he has Jacob as a brother. But he's probably breaking into the houses because his house doesn't seem like a home to him.

I wondered about the seemingly random introduction of Oliver. But it seems that Oliver will clearly be Jacob's and Emma's lawyer after the murder. Recently out of law school, quirky but intelligent, he seems like someone who will try to relate to Jacob and someone who will be cheap. Their chance meeting at the pizza parlor was unexpected. Will Oliver remember that he ran into Jacob before?

Mark is a jerk. Jess should not be with him. And Jacob can see that. Maybe she shouldn't be with Jacob but I am hoping the he helps her think more of herself and see that she doesn't need someone who thinks so little of her and the thinks she values. I liked the bit about the Christmas cards to the wrong house. I'd totally open them and read them too.

Agony aunt, I'd never heard that phrase before, the origin of modern Dear Abby. I liked how Jodi found an old fashioned title for what Emma does. The incident with Jacob shoving his maths teacher and Emma trying to explain to him why it's wrong in this situation but not in others showed how I'd originally thought Jacob would think, very literally. Emma also states that she wishes Jacob could be empathetic. There is the distinction that helped me understand better that Jacob could know that he was causing certain emotions in people, even if he couldn't read them, but he could not put himself in their shoes and understand why they felt or reacted a certain way. He doesn't understand why people doesn't think and act like him, but he understands that they do, and that he needs to learn to "interpret" them and interact more correctly. Emma ignores finding Theo's stolen video game. Foreshadowing?

Theo - more typical teenage boy with the teaching Jacob how to curse and the hoping to see a naked female.

Jacob - On interpreting slang. Deductions on why Jess hasn't contacted him. Jacob goes to Jess's house. Then foreshadowing on Jacob's impulsive nature. I'm sure we'll see in the next chapter what that means. But we know from Emma's next section that it causes Jacob to meltdown very badly, and Emma, not meaning to, lets Theo's need for a somewhat normal home life down again. Emma can't do everything, who could in this situation.

House Rules - Chapter 1 (pgs 1-37)

I finished the first chapter of House Rules last night and I'm definitely interested in the story. I think Emma's voice is the most true to life, a single mother struggling to raise her kids the best she can. Rich also seems realistic as a single dad. I can already see the love story about to happen between those two. Theo doesn't quite ring true as a smart teenager who also skate boards. I'm just not really getting teenage boy quite right from him. I also wonder about Jacob. Would an Asperger's Symdrome child be that aware that he has no social skills, can't recognize emotion, it isn't normal to throw fits in the grocery, etc.? I did see how he views his family very well. It's only the first chapter though and I hope the boys' voices develop better. I also thought it was quite interesting to learn why there are no fingerprints below freezing. The case the chapter opened with was called Sleep Tight, which is ironic because it seems like Emma is the only one sleeping that night.

I got my book!

Lynne was kind enough to send me a copy of House Rules by post. And it arrived in only five days!! Way sooner than I would have gotten it from the library. Thanks Lynne!! You're awesome girl.

I plan to start reading it tonight. And since it's not due back in two week, I plan to read the book straight through since I'll have it to refer back to for the discussion questions.

Bonnie's answers to some of the first DQs

1.  What does the object in this photo have to do with the story?

The color orange upsets Jacob, whether it's fruit or a piece of clothing or a warning sign. Here's one example of how Jacob feels about orange:

"This is where I go, when I go:  Somewhere completely, unutterably orange" (p. 100).

To answer Shirley's question, "Orange you glad this isn't a test?"  Yep, but I hope thinking about these questions helps everybuddy remember various parts of the story as much as coming up with the questions made me aware of all that is in the book.

2.  What is the presumptive "motive" behind the staged murder in the opening scene?

Jacob stole Theo's sneakers, but Shirley's answer is so very perceptive:  that it "showed Jacob's understanding of Theo's love of the shoes while showing that he [Jacob] does have a sense of humor."

3.  Jacob says, “Why would I want to be friends with kids who are nasty to people like me anyway?” (page 20).  What does this tell us about Jacob?

Shirley, thanks for sharing the story about your daughter's first day in kindergarten, AND for pointing out that Jacob has "a better understanding of people than he is given credit for."  I think you are right.

6.  What kind of work does Emma do?  What did she do before that?

She writes an advice column as Auntie Em:

"And off goes my mother, champion of the confused, doyenne of the dense.  Saving the world one letter at a time.  I wonder what all those devoted readers would think if they knew that the real Auntie Em had one son who was practically a sociopath and another one who was socially impractical" (pp. 24-26).

She used to be an editor of textbooks:

"I used to have friends. Back before I had children, when I was working at a textbook publishing company outside of Boston, I'd hang out with some of the other editors after hours" (p. 41).

7.  What work did Oliver do before he became a lawyer?

"I liked being a farrier. ... But after four years I got restless.  I decided to go to law school, for the same reason everyone else goes to law school:  because I had no idea what else to do" (p. 58).

I didn't realize a farrier is someone who shoes horses.  Wikipedia says, "A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse's hoof and the placing of shoes to the horse's  foot."  So I've learned something new.

8.  Tell us whatever you've learned so far about the food colors the Hunt family eats during the week, the color and also any foods you can think of that fit the day's color.

"Five days of the week, in addition to having a limited diet, Jacob eats by color.  I don't really remember how this started, but it's a routine:  all Monday food is green, all Tuesday food is red, all Wednesday food is yellow, and so on" (page 43).

Green foods I can think of are peas, turnip greens, spinach, pickles, lettuce, asparagus, kiwi fruit.  Red foods might be tomatoes, apples, radishes, spaghetti sauce, red velvet cake.  Yellow foods include corn, bananas, squash, lemon meringue pie, mustard, cornbread, slices of pineapple. Watch for the colors the Hunt family eats on Thursdays and Fridays, and somebuddy please tell me what page it's on, since I didn't think to make a note of it.

9.  List any movie quotes you found in the first 100 pages or so of the book.

Shirley, there's no "special section" about movie quotes, just quotes that Jacob uses when he can't think of what to say.  That's when he uses something from a movie he remembers.  And sometimes, a movie is mentioned by one of the other characters.  Here are some movie references I noticed, along with a quote from the book and the page number:

a.  Cool Hand Luke (p. 5)

"What we got here," Jacob mutters, his voice a sudden drawl, "is . . . failure to communicate."  He crouches down, hugging his knees.  When he cannot find the words for how he feels, he borrows someone else's.  These come from Cool Hand Luke; Jacob remembers the dialogue from every movie he's ever seen.

b.  Rain Man (p. 6)

When he was diagnosed, I burst into tears.  Remember, this was back in 1995; the only experience I'd had with autism was Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.

c.  Silence of the Lambs (p. 12)

I'll be honest with you -- it wasn't the fact that he took my sneakers without asking or even that he stole hair out of my brush (which is, frankly, Silence of the Lambs creepy).  It was that when I saw Jacob in the kitchen with his corn-syrup blood and his fake head injury and all the evidence pointing to me, for a half a second, I thought:  I wish.

d.  Moonstruck (p. 22)

Dr. Moon:  Can you think of a solution that might have worked better than calling 911?  Me (doing my best Cher from Moonstruck impression):  Snap out of it!

e.  Gone with the Wind (p. 23)

"Frankly my dear," I murmur, "I don't give a damn."

My mother sighs.  "Dinner at six, Rhett," she says, even though it's always at six, and even though my name is Jacob.

I've gotta add one more thing. Being a word person, I was delighted when Jacob spoke up about the word "frankly" later in the book (okay, I know I'm a bit weird).  This shows the way Jacob thinks:

"Frankly, I wonder who Frank was, and why he has an adverb all to himself" (p. 101).

First Set of Discussion Questions

1. Hmmmm....Jacob is afraid of the color orange because it means danger and it doesn't rhyme with anything. A couple of other thoughts on the picture of the oranges are "Orange you glad this isn't a test?" We're in for a juicy story. Several sections (people) make up the whole story.

2. Jacob's comment that the theft of the shoes was the motive for Theo killing him showed Jacob's understanding of Theo's love of the shoes while showing that he does have a sense of humor.

3. Jacob's realization that friends who treat persons with differences in a degrading way shows he does have a better understanding of people than he is given credit for. A friend does not mistreat you. The comment reminds me of an incident when my daughter was in kindergarten. She came home after the first day of school delighted with her new friend Sam. She came home very upset after the second day of school. When they were lined up to go to the restroom he told her she was in the wrong line as she was in the line for girls. After explaining that she is a girl, he proclaimed that they couldn't be friends as he didn't like girls. She was upset the rest of the day about his rejection. When I tucked her in bed that night, she gave a half-hearted smile and said that she thought it over and decided that that was all right after all as she didn't want to be friends with someone who let a little thing like that bother him.

4. I can't stand:
a. Favoritism that prevents others from getting a fair chance (such as getting a job or a promotion or being allowed to play in a sport).
b. Bias against people as a group (such as racism, age, weight).
c. Pain--emotional or physical--especially when it's me suffering from it.
d. Condescending behavior
e. Constant talking

5. I thought the household rules seemed appropriate. They are minimal and understandable. Although the intentions of the rules are followed without being stated, I no longer have young children at home that I would want to make rules for nor would I impose rules on my husband.

6. Emma is a freelance editor including doing an advice column. I can't remember what she did before that or if the freelancing is in addition to another job.

7. Another question I can't answer. I don't remember reading about Oliver in the first chapter.

8. I haven't made it this far in the book yet.

9. Knowing that I'm not a movie buff and that there is to be a special section on movie quotes, I will opt out of this question as well.

House Rules ~ first set of discussion questions

Post your answers to these questions (as actual posts if you are a Book Buddy, rather than a comment), and tell us your thoughts about the earliest parts of the book:

1.  What does the object in this photo have to do with the story?

2.  What is the presumptive "motive" behind the staged murder in the opening scene?

3.  Jacob says, “Why would I want to be friends with kids who are nasty to people like me anyway?” (page 20).  What does this tell us about Jacob?

4.  Jacob lists twelve things he can't stand (page 20).  Do you see his logic?  We all have things we could put into such a list.  What would yours be?

5.  The rules of the house are listed on page 21.  Do they seem appropriate or unusual?  Would they be rules that would work in your house?  Why should a rule that works in one situation not work in another?  "If a bully taunts him and I tell him it’s all right to reciprocate, why shouldn’t he do the same with a teacher who humiliates him in public?" (see page 75).

(1)  Clean up your own messes.
(2)  Tell the truth.
(3)  Brush your teeth twice a day.
(4)  Don't be late for school.
(5)  Take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got.

6.  What kind of work does Emma do?  What did she do before that?

7.  What work did Oliver do before he became a lawyer?

8.  "Five days of the week, in addition to having a limited diet, Jacob eats by color.  I don't really remember how this started, but it's a routine:  all Monday food is ______, all Tuesday food is ______, all Wednesday food is ______, and so on" (page 43).  The colors for Thursday and Friday come later in the book.  You'll also discover later (page 288) that there's another food color they always eat on the first day of the month.  Tell us whatever you've learned so far about the food colors the Hunt family eats during the week, the color and also any foods you can think of that fit the day's color.

9.  List any movie quotes you found in the first 100 pages or so of the book.