PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

The plot is built like any other traditional mystery: it gathers together the possible suspects and detectives, gives them a puzzle to solve, and provides a regular flow of new information that keeps readers guessing about the truth. However, as a cozy mystery it also focuses on characters for whom readers quickly build empathy. Thus, the story does not end when the mystery is solved; rather, the three last chapters give readers a chance to see how these characters turn out, to find out which ones lived happily and what else happened to them in the next twenty years.

With this in mind, there are three major kinds of plot threads in the novel, all dependent on the relationship between characters albeit in different ways.

The first major plot thread is the solving of the Westing game, as various pairs of heirs do their best to find the right answer and win the inheritance. Much of it involves the interpretation of their clues, and readers are in the same position as the heirs as all the clues aren't gathered until the story's climax - this because the first pair of heirs, Jake Wexler and Sun Lin Hoo, were absent at the first meeting of the Westing heirs and receive their clues at the second meeting. Thus, even if readers quickly intuit that the clues all tie into the song "America the Beautiful" they cannot know the significance of this until the last pieces of the puzzle are in place. Further, the fact that "Amber" is in the song helps place suspicion on Otis Amber, a useful red herring (that is, false clue) to divert the attention of readers. This first major plot thread also forces characters to interact who otherwise would not do so, either as heirs who are paired together or as fellow players who hold valuable information.

The second major plot thread is the unraveling of Sam Westing's past and his relation to the various Westing heirs. This is pursued primarily by Judge Josie-Jo Ford and her partner, Sandy McSouthers - who is really Sam Westing, and thus helps guide the conclusions that Judge Ford reaches from her research. Through this second plot thread, readers understand the motivation for Sam Westing's will and have a hint of his true intent. The tragedy of Violet Westing's suicide and the various connections the heirs have to the Westing family help to build the theme of family, as well as make Sam Westing a more sympathetic character.

The third major plot thread is actually a weave of subplots in the form of significant relationships between different combinations of Westing heirs, all of which serve to build the themes of the novel and the character development. It is a complex weave, as each character has ties to several other characters but is different from the weave of any other character. In that sense, the dynamic of these relationships accurately mirrors real life. For example, Angela Wexler is engaged to Denton Deere and trying to please her mother Grace Wexler, wishes to comfort her sister Turtle Wexler, is estranged from her father Jake Wexler, may develop a romance with Theo Theodorakis, is watched over by Berthe Erica Crow, and forms a close friendship with Sydelle Pulaski. Compare this to the weave of relationships built by Turtle Wexler: sister of Angela, ignored by parents Grace and Jake, friend of Sandy McSouthers, finds a substitute mother in Flora Baumbach, and has a mild enmity to the high school boys Theo Theodorakis and Douglas Hoo (who were crucial in the bet that led to her visiting the Westing house on Halloween night). With such a large cast, the network of connections and relationships grows highly complex but is easily tracked by the reader due to memorable traits and quirks for each character. This is not only a great source of pleasure and amusement for readers, but also helps to emphasize the theme of familial networks and the Sunset Towers community as an extended family.

AUTHOR'S STYLE

In the tradition of cozy mysteries, the style of The Westing Game is light in tone, jaunty, with a sharp authorial eye on the quirks of its characters. It creates a sense of suspense and thrill, but it does not make readers too anxious or threaten to upset them. Thus it is a highly accessible, reader-friendly style, and one well-suited for young readers who want a story with a fast-paced plot and memorable characterization.

Narrating in the third person voice, the author plays with the reader and is selective in what she reveals: for example, the placing of the bomb at Shin Hoo's Restaurant is described, but not the person doing so. This maintains the suspense that a mystery novel requires while also building anticipation for the reader. Thus, one of the more interesting aspects of Raskin's writing style is the manner by which information is sometimes dropped casually to the reader, demanding greater attention in all the details described. For example, readers suddenly discover Madame Sun Lin Hoo is the thief of Sunset Towers with little build-up leading to this revelation; similarly, we learn of Jake Wexler's bookmaking sideline in an offhand manner. This downplays the importance of these revelations so that readers can continue to focus on the main mystery, but it also has the effect of making the reader more alert, to seek hidden meanings in passages that may otherwise seem free of secrets.

There is a great amount of wordplay in the novel, taking words and finding meanings that are unexpected. There are various puns in the novel, such as the renaming of James Hoo's restaurant into the sports-themed Hoo's on First. The way the Westing heirs interpret their clues often involves an elaborate jump in logic, such as the chemical formula that Theo Theodorakis devises and the way Chris Theodorakis divines the "Ford" and "4D" from his clues. To be fair, Raskin includes incidents of straightforward interpretations of words and clues: James Hoo protests Grace's elaborate misreading of the clues they receive, as well as expressing doubts on the new restaurant name being confusing to customers. Many heirs take to heart the suggestion in the will to buy Westing Paper Products, with Turtle Wexler taking it further and thinking the heirs are being instructed to invest in Westing Paper stock. Of course, all this wordplay ties into the theme of information and how it is interpreted.

By its very nature The Westing Game rewards at least one re-reading of the book. The first time the book is read, much will be lost to the reader simply because the significance of the information is not immediately apparent: this not only includes plot points about the mysteries in the novel, but also issues of characterization and developing relationships between the different players. Upon a second reading, the expectations shift and readers know what is important and what relates to other aspects of the novel.