Erica @ Erica Robyn Reads and I buddy read the book Sadie, which was written by Courtney Summers. Like we have in the past, when we are done reading a book together and then writing up our own individual reviews (which are linked below) we got together and went over discussion topics.
We had previously read Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia and The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
Before we dive into this chat, if you missed either of our reviews for Sadie, feel free to check them out by clicking below:
Erica's Review
Heather's Review
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS CHAT
Please do not continue on if you have not get read this book
This is one part of our two part discussion. At the end of this post I will link you to the other post.
Now, let's jump into the chat!
What role do the towns Sadie passes through (Cold Creek, Montgomery, Langford, and Farfield) play in the story? Each town has a distinct description; what do these settings tell you?
Heather:
One thing I picked up is the knowledge of bad things happening no matter where you go, which sounds depressing, but I think it shows that no place in particular is inherently good. Cold Creek is a place that reminds me of the kind of town that is described as a place where people graduate and if they don't get out, they never will. Maybe the moral is that bad things happen everywhere. In Montgomery, which was beautiful and described as a tourist place, both Sadie and Cat mention that bad things happen in pretty places like Montgomery. We know bad things happen in Cold Creek too, a town that is described as has "worn and chipped monopoly house that no longer have a place upon the board". So I think an important moral is that whether or not the town or city is "pretty" or "ugly" it doesn't prevent ugly things from happening. Also, there is something depressing about each one, a lot of the time it being the buildings and the people. Which makes me think, maybe people like Keith and Silas go to places where people are most vulnerable. Makes it easier to take advantage of people when they're already down.
Erica:
That's a great point! The whole, "the grass isn't always greener" idea definitely comes into play.
Out of all the people who Sadie comes across in her journey, which person (or people) do you think has the most effect on her? And who do you think Sadie affected the most; why?
Heather:
The person that had the most effect on her is a hard question to answer. She often had one thing in mind, which was avenging Mattie, and even when she let herself have "normal" moments with Javi or even Cat, they were fleeting moments and she knew it. Maybe seeing Nell is what pushed her forward to do whatever she did with Keith the night they had their confrontation. Maybe knowing Keith would be going home to Nell is what made her keep fighting him, even when she was obviously exhausted and weak. We obviously won't know for sure what happened that night, but the way Sadie saw so much of Mattie in Nell, I don't think it's a reach to think that Sadie would fight as hard as she can to save Nell since she couldn't save Mattie. I think she affected Silas Baker and his family the most negatively (at least in Silas's case, who knows how his family did after he was arrested), but that was a good thing obviously. I think she had the most positive impact on Nell and her mom, along with any young girls that could have come after them.
Erica:
I struggled with thinking this one over as well. I think Javi had a good effect on her! I wish that had played out a bit more, but I understand why it was so quick. He was the first person that touched her in a loving way. I can't remember the exact comment, but it broke me a bit when she said something about it. He was definitely a good influence, he showed her that there are still good, caring people out there. Totally agree with Silas Baker and his family for the negative impact. It's crazy to me how the whole town was split! I see that happen a lot with the true crime podcasts that I listen to as well. It always blows my mind that with concrete evidence that people can still be divided. It's not just a "he said, she said" situation. I guess that's the power of critical thinking coming into play. We can't just go with what our emotions want to settle with.
What forces are working against Sadie? What obstacles has she had to overcome in order to survive?
Heather:
I think her grief and anger are definitely huge factors in what is working against her. I also think she was also forced to grow up too quickly, and because of that she often felt alone. She felt like it was her job alone to take care of Mattie, and when she felt like she failed, all that grief and guilt made her isolate herself even more from May Beth. I know that it's easy to look back and realize what you've done is wrong, but it made me sad that the moment Mattie was born, Sadie's childhood (at six years old) as over. Claire and May Beth obviously felt guilty for never allowing Sadie to be a kid. And after Mattie's death, Sadie is left with no personal hobbies or friends or anything because her world revolved around Mattie. Sadie closed herself off so bad that she felt like it was up to her only to avenge Mattie. When in reality, calling the cops once she got enough evidence would have been a different ending for her. The thought of asking for help was so out of the question that she preferred to constantly put her life in danger instead. There is a scene in particular when she realizes she may not have it in her to kill a person, and that doubt doesn't make her stop and think that maybe it's time to ask for help. I think her upbringing and how it molded her to have the mindset that it was just her and Mattie in this world is what really worked against her.
Erica:
Totally agree! I definitely think the strongest force working against her was her grief. Not only was she grieving her sister that she lost, she was also still grieving the traumas of her childhood and taking on the grief of knowing what happened to her, happened to others. This grief started turning into anger, and that blinded her.
What effect do you think the postcard from L.A. was supposed to have versus the actual effect it has on Sadie and Mattie? Do you think that the sender regretted sending the postcard?
Heather:
It had the opposite effect Sadie wanted it to have. She was hoping that getting some sort of contact from Claire would make Mattie happy to know she was safe, but instead it sparked something deep inside of her that needed to go to L.A. to see Claire. Sadie, knowing Claire didn't send the postcard, knew that it was impossible. I think Sadie absolutely regrets sending the card, and her guilt is evident. However, it makes me wonder if the result would be the same with or without the card. Keith visited Cold Creek, and that is where Mattie saw him again after so many years. When Mattie informed Keith that Claire had gone to L.A., would he still have preyed on the girls anyway? Knowing their mom wasn't there to protect them? There's a lot of "what ifs" this book leaves the reader with.
Erica:
Yeah, I wonder what would have happened if Sadie had fessed up and told Mattie that she was the one that sent it. Sadie protected her sister for so long. I'm surprised we didn't see her cracking or breaking down at any point. Especially where she was still a teenager herself! We all know how hot-headed teens can get! I could definitely see them getting into a fight over going to L.A. and Sadie letting it slip that it wasn't real. I agree that her guilt over sending the card was evident. Since the card helped kick Mattie out of her funk, Sadie was really stuck in an awful situation!
What do you think Sadie would say to West if they ever met in person? Do you think she'd like him? Would she trust him with her story?
Heather:
Sadie didn't like to talk about her feelings, and she didn't care who knew her story as long as the end of the story included Keith being dead. I don't think she cared much about anything else. She shows us in the book she is definitely more open than she comes across, she has intimate moments with two people and despite being perceived as cold hearted, she obviously wasn't. She was a trauma victim who was trying to protect herself, and probably had major trust issues. However, I think she was good at reading people, maybe she learned when she saw the split second reactions that happen after the people discovered her stutter. But I think she would be able to tell West was a good person. She'd appreciate and like West but I am unsure how open she'd be with telling the story. Especially if they after Keith's death and Silas being outed as a child predator.
Erica:
I'm struggling with this one as well. I agree that she may be able to read West and make a split-second decision about whether he was in this for a good reason or not...I'm super curious to see what her gut instinct would be! I also think that she could easily go either way with being happy he's sharking her story, or get really angry. She was so private... That whole scene with her getting sick and almost dying, then getting mad at her sister told someone about it... Then again, that was a vow of silence because she didn't want them to get in trouble... It's such a toss up! If I absolutely had to guess, I would say she would be really angry at first, but then convince him to focus less on Sadie and more on her story with her sister, so Mattie wouldn't be forgotten. She would want justice for Mattie for sure.
You have now concluded my side of this chat, click here to continue on over at Erica Robyn Reads!
Thanks for reading!
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