My Sister Made Me Read It
#MySisterMadeMeReadIt literally…
Join twenty-something year old sisters, Amy and Abby, each week as they dive into a chosen book to chaotically rant about swoon-worthy characters, characters they can’t stand, and worlds they can’t get their mind off of.
Come ignore reality with your sisters for an hour every Wednesday!
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My Sister Made Me Read It
JUST LIKE HOME Review, an Antique Market Find, and Being Kind to Customer Service Workers
It’s Amy’s Week!
On this episode of the My Sister Made Me Read It podcast, it’s Amy’s week to choose what book we read, and she’s decided on the Adult Thriller/Horror JUST LIKE HOME by Sarah Gailey. (31:27:2)
But before they dive in, Amy starts with a story involving a very tall man at work, her strange (and maybe unsanitary) antique market find, and pranking her bosses. Abby explains searching for her new car and finding one in Charlotte, getting to meet Amy’s “newborn” Sunshine, and her recent odd experience in an ice cream shop.
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Credit for Intro and Outro music: This That Shizznit by Beat Mekanik, Free Music Archive, CC BY
I'm gonna learn it. Okay. I'm gonna Oh, this is another favorite sound of mine right now. It's about Jacob Elordi and um, What's his name? Barry Keoghan? Barry Coff? No, not Coff. I want two boyfriends, and I want the boyfriends to be boyfriends, and I want to be their girlfriend, and I want the boyfriends to take me on a little boyfriend date where we're all ex friends and girlfriends. I want two boyfriends! I want two boyfriends! I want the boyfriends to be boyfriends! Have you seen the video when they're on stage and he like picks up his coffee for them? Have I seen it? I watch it every night before bed. It literally puts me to sleep. I saw, um, this morning actually that Barry and Sabrina Carpenter were on like another date. Did you see, have you seen the photo of Jacob Elordi getting like his makeup touched up and he's on his like on one knee in front of like the makeup lady and he's on one knee and she's eye level with him on one knee. Are you kidding? Oh my god. That's like, that's like when you talk about like Zayden, that's the height I imagine Zayden would be. I never ever ever in my whole life, I've been tall my entire life. And our mother is tall. I've never ever been insecure about my height. Like, I haven't even thought about it twice until seeing those photos. And I want to be 4'9 I want to be that little. Like, I want to be at eye level with a man. I'm little and then I found a little husband. Jose's 5'5 5'6 And I've always dated shorter men too. I always have, and I love short, I love short kinks. It's like my thing. Our dad was shorter than mom. It's just like what I know. We were just used to it. Yeah. And the other day I told you this story, this is the funny story. So you know, I'm kind of like in my, I'm not really dating. I don't want anything to do with men. And the other day. I was at, um, the front of the restaurant of the bar and there was these two men in the bar and I didn't really, I don't really pay attention to people very often, like when I'm working, I'm just like kind of working and there was these two men at the bar and they were dressed up really, really nice. They had like suits on and, um, they went to leave. They're probably my age. They went to leave and I was standing at the door with a few of my, my employees, my girls. And this one guy, he was so tall and he was dark and he was fucking handsome. And he goes to get in the elevator. And I just said, you know, I just like speak whatever the fuck's on my mind. I said, that man was fine as fuck. And I guess he wasn't all the way in the elevator and he just like, was like, Ooh, and like poked his head back out. Like he heard me and I was like, Oh, and I turned and ran away. I just like sprinted away from this person. I was like, Nope, I'm not doing that. And then my, the girls that were up front with me were like, come back, come back. Like, so this girl comes to my, uh, coworker comes chasing me down. And it's like, he wants you. He wants you. And I'm like. Fuck my life. I was like, fuck. So I go back up there. Abby. When I tell you I've never had a man look down on this man was probably I'm not kidding like six seven and I'm six foot This man towered Towered over me and he was so smug and he was like he looked at I was like me I felt I felt like a toddler like a little child I'm not kidding and I'm like like I don't get like nervous ever like in front of men Like I'm not like that type of person And I literally like, I'm looking up at this guy, like my neck is like craned up, and he just looks down at me, and you know what he says to me? He goes, did I scare you off? And I was like, uh, that's literally, I was like, um, um, uh, like I suddenly didn't speak English. So I know ever since that, that encounter, I get it. I get the tall man thing. Like I fucking get it because the way I felt so small, I was like, you could literally tell me to do anything right now and I would do it. Yeah, but, but like the thing with the, like that tall of a man is like, they can't be with me. I'm five one. He looked down on my head and said, did I scare you off? I know, but like, that's the hottest thing that's ever happened to me in my life. If he did that with me, or if I married someone who is 6'7 it would look like borderline pedophilia. No, I wouldn't say that, but it would look painful. But hey, you know, to each their own. To each their own. Bitch, I'm so glad we're talking about this right now. I'm so glad we're talking about this right now, because it segues me into the perfect conversation that I wanted to talk about.
Track 1:Okay. Hopefully that worked.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:checked
Track 1:Technical difficulty. Um, yeah, that's my bad. So I got into this, speaking of tall men, I got into this rabbit hole on TikTok the other night,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:and I found this man and, okay, his name is Sam Barker and he just came up on my TikTok, um, because he is so sweet, like the most genuine little man I've ever seen in my life. And he, um, I don't even know how to, how to like really explain what he is, but he's just like a six five guy. He went on a date, right? And he apparently, I don't know very much, but he apparently has some kind of brain damage, but he seems completely normal. He just seems like a little on the spectrum, right? So I'm like, oh my God. Okay. And he's just like talking about this date that he like went on. Oh my God. Did he delete? Oh no, it's right here. And it's the cutest thing you'll ever watch in your whole entire life. And get ready with me as I very suddenly have a date tonight. This is what I look like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Said
Track 1:right now. My date starts in an hour and 15 minutes. I love him. I'm showered and shaved and he just takes you through the whole minutes. 59 minutes my hair is done. Shirt, courtesy of my sister, oldest sister from Christmas. Look at his spit check. Um, and yeah, the date is in 50 minutes. The final look. look at him. that's really stupid with this coat on. Abby So I obviously am like, I love you. I love you so much. And um, if it doesn't work out with your date, I think we should get married.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:as well say. That reminds me of when we used to watch Beauty in the Nerd or whatever.
Track 1:Beauty and the geek.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Beauty
Track 1:And the geek, it is my, uh.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mom always said that would be you.
Track 1:I'm obsessed. I need this man. So he is so cute and he's like, goes on, I wanna find the part where he is like gas station. So she, he's six five and she, the girl he's going on a date with is five two and he like talks about it and he goes be there until eight for 25, not quite 25. He says something and it's so fucking funny. Oh here it is. He's a five. So she just got there and I'm still 17 minutes away, so not quite 25 minutes but not great either. In case you're curious, I'm a six five white guy with brain damage and she's a five two Asian PhD student. So we are quite the duo. I'm 10 minutes away.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:They
Track 1:a six five with brain damage. Please sir, please. Oh it's so cute. But then he did like updates and shit and like his update, oh my god, it's so Yeah, so this was like two days. This was on Friday, so it's literally super fresh. I know my date went, but he does like an update video and it went so well and he just cannot believe that it went well. And it's this most,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:TikTok thing?
Track 1:it's his TikTok name is more Sam Barker, but it's literally like he goes on this date and it went so well and she kissed him and he like cannot believe that she kissed him and he's like on this high and he's like, this is what people feel like. People just walk around every day kissing people and I'm just like, you're the sweetest person I've ever met.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:so pure.
Track 1:Oh, it's so pure. And he just keeps saying like, I just can't believe she liked me. She just really seemed like she actually really liked me and I just am like in tears. Oh, it's so cute. It's so cute. So yeah, I just, speaking of tall men, a video about it. Oh, it's so cute. Do I'm gonna find, she'd use words and I like, I'm gonna remember that. Oh, and then she said, listen to this. Um, we were playing a game that had dice and I would like be shaking the dice and she'd say like, you have really nice hands. And I would be like, I was like, wow, I'm gonna remember that for the rest of my life. Thank you. Um, I'm gonna remember that for the rest of my life. Thank you. And someone commented and said, um, the hands compliment was an even bigger compliment than you think it was.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah, that's like in, that's like in my book. I've been going back and editing my book and I had an editor look at it and she, you know, obviously her job was also to pick up repetitive things and she was like, maybe go back to the last 30 pages and like, look at how many times you talk about hands. And I was like, what
Track 1:you,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:say? Yeah, like hands are a turnout. What?
Track 1:Maybe double check the word hands. I see it's, you have a hundred, you have like a thousand words in your book and 900 of them are hands.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the whole like whatever 86,000 worded book, it was like only like 200 times, but like it was fun. She was
Track 1:That's,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:just take the reader out of the book. And I was like, oh, I'll go back and look.
Track 1:I think it would, it would shoot me right into it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I know
Track 1:I just thought that was so
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:are doing.
Track 1:funny. So I'm fully
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:is
Track 1:invested in this man, and if this girl breaks his heart, she has got a whole army of people who are, and like when he, so he goes on a second date and I guess like, um, so they went on their first date on Friday and then they decided to go on another date on Saturday.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:So he's like walking to his second date on Saturday and he's recording and he posted this video and he's like, I don't know, guys. Like, her energy was kind of off today. I don't know if it was just like the newness last night. She was really excited, but she just doesn't really seem, she's not really bringing the same energy today. Like I, he was like insinuating through text message and he's like talking on this video and he's like, I just don't want anybody to be sad for me. Like, if this doesn't work out, I promise you it's fine. Like, this happens to me a lot. Like no one really likes me, but it's okay. It's okay. And he's like talking himself out of it. And it was the saddest thing. And then like he does like an update after the second date on Saturday night or was this, maybe it was Thursday, Friday.'cause I watched this yesterday and um, he does like an update after the second date and he is like, well, I was wrong. She's super into me. we kissed twice, like. He goes, I think she's just a bad texter. And I'm like, I love you. You're so cute. It's so sweet.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's why
Track 1:But yeah,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:for stuff like that.
Track 1:bitch, I have like notes right here that I wanted to talk to you about and I just got so confused because I had Sam Barker on on my list. So I'm glad we kind of segued into that just naturally. And I was like, why did I write down whip? And I remember now. So please hold. I have to go get something. Hold on.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh no. Do, oh, That one's
Track 1:Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That looks like for a horse.
Track 1:Okay. So remember how I told you I went to an antique store, Remember I told you that
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yes.
Track 1:went to an antique store, and I found this
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Hold on. Hold that up.
Track 1:I found this, and I I had to have it. Do you hear that? Yeah. So I bought this.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:that.
Track 1:It was, it was, guess how much it cost me?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh God. How much?
Track 1:$8.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh, I was right.
Track 1:So, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna hang it, I'm gonna,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:people with it
Track 1:oh, I ab well, uh,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the future.
Track 1:I'm gonna, um, I'm gonna offer it for use for, for people for sure.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:you're gonna run out your whip
Track 1:No, I'm not gonna rent it out. I'm gonna, hopefully it'll be used in some way or form. Um, anyways, I'm gonna hang it on my wall in my bedroom.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay?
Track 1:her. Isn't she cute?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's funny that you got a whip from the antique
Track 1:Yeah, I, yeah, it's kinda, I should probably sage it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:been used?
Track 1:I
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it used
Track 1:I should, I should probably sage it or, or like maybe, um, you know, like wipe it down with a Clorox or something. I haven't
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like you're not supposed to buy a used mirror because, uh, spirits get into mirrors. Maybe you shouldn't buy a used whip.
Track 1:Hmm hmm. I didn't think about that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:of, it
Track 1:You know what? I just saw it and I was like, this. You're come. I was like, you're coming home with me. Yeah. You're coming home with me. It's so, it's beautiful. I love her. Oh,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's,
Track 1:smells fresh.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:smell it.
Track 1:Okay. I honestly don't know why I did that. Um, I dunno why, I don't know why I just stuck that to my nose and smelled it anyways.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Have you sanitized it yet?
Track 1:No, I have not.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:You should put a Lysol wipe to
Track 1:I should, I'll do that later,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh, that's funny.
Track 1:Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, fun times.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was on your list? Was a whip?
Track 1:I know I've got a few other things, but do you have anything going on?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No, I mean, I bought a new car.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I, it's a mom car,
Track 1:Yeah. I got to see Abby and my brother-in-Law Jose yesterday. It was super fun.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah, so we, uh, we've been, we've been looking for a new car casually since like August of last year because, you know, I still have, I have a 2011 car, like I've had it since I was in high school and we've been going on trips and it's just miserable. And so we've been wanting a new car and we can afford a new car. So we were like, let's think about a new car. And, um, but we just didn't know. So we were test driving for months and then we finally figured out what car we wanted a couple weeks ago, and then we found one that we really liked. And so we were looking for like an exact model and there was one in Charlotte and it just kind of like happened that it was. you know, the best deal, the best. Like we got a lot of like lifetime guarantee type things with the dealership, like those type of things. And so we went and saw you
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and picked up the car.
Track 1:Yeah. You got to meet my newborn.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I finally got to meet Sonny. I feel like you've had Sonny
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and I haven't seen her yet.
Track 1:I haven't had her for that long.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:baby.
Track 1:Uh, tell tell everybody how, how perfect she is.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:She is perfect.
Track 1:all I wanna do is, is talk about my children. Oh, I love her so much. She Is this the sweetest?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:her like with like puppy eyes. Just looking up.
Track 1:She is just the sweetest angel. And I like try to tell everybody, I'm like this dog. Like, you just don't know until you meet her. She's so. Sweet. She just has like the sweetest little demeanor. And like Drax obviously is the love of my life. He's my boyfriend. I love him more than anything, but he has such a different personality. Like I've, I'm not, he's so, he's more like me. Like our personalities are very similar. Me and d Drax, like he's kinda like, has very strong boundaries. You know, he's, he,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:social battery is like, you know,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah.
Track 1:it runs out. He's kind of like introverted, so he kind of does his own thing. And Sunshine Girl, she is all about the love needs to be touched 24 7 literally needs to be on top of me and I love it so much. And she's just the sweetest dog. Like Drax does not have that sweet demeanor. Like I have to tell people like, yeah, you gotta watch out for this one. Like he might bite you but Sunshine Ray,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No,
Track 1:my God,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:precious, man.
Track 1:she is just a ball of love. Yeah. She's a sweet, sweet girl. I'm glad y'all got to meet her.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah,
Track 1:I can't, I can't wait for mom to meet her. I know mom's gonna love her.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh yeah,
Track 1:It's so funny'cause when I got sunshine like mom,'cause every, all of y'all know how much drax means to me. So like mom, I feel like, felt like Like she didn't wanna like love another one, like more than drag. So she was like always calling me, be like, how's Drax? Is Drax okay? Are you loving Drax? I'm like, mom, yeah, like, I promise you he is fine. He's fine. She was like a little, yeah, she was like a little apprehensive about a second one.'cause she loves Drax so much, but once she meets her, I know she'll love her.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh yeah. Mom already loves Sonny, but
Track 1:I know she's a sweet girl.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she's a hoo. Mom called me the other day. We're just talking, catching up. We're talking, and she was, well, I called her and she was. Like, kind of like, you know when you call and she's like, hushed. And
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:you still working?'cause it was like six o'clock she was like, no, I'm getting a cocktail right now. And I was like, okay. I was like, you wanna call me like later? Call me tonight. And she was like, okay. So she called me back like an hour later she's like, I just had the best cocktail And I was like, what? You have? She was like, it was this new one and it's called a rose And then she's like, you would not believe what's in it. And I'm like,
Track 1:Let me take two guesses,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And she was like, you know, mom, just like what was in it mom? And she was like, rose and vodka
Track 1:Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and um, Prosecco. And then a cherry was in it. I was like, yeah. I was like, I've heard of those. Haven't tried them, but I, they're probably really good. I would probably really like it. It was so good. The lady I was with. Got it. She went with like a coworker and she was like the lady who was with Got it. So like I tried hers and I had to get one, and I was like, okay, cool. So then we went on with her conversation and then last night mom calls me when we were driving home from picking up our car. We're catching up and we're getting to the near of the end of our conversation and she goes, I have to tell you about this drink I had last night, And I
Track 1:uh,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:bitch, you already told, I was like, mom, we, we talked about this last night. And she was like, we did. And
Track 1:bra. I'm scared.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And no. She goes, I think I had maybe a little too many last night that I don't remember
Track 1:I love her so much.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And I was like, yeah. I said, it had Rose, it had vodka, it had Prosecco.
Track 1:should have played along and been like, wait, mom, let me guess what was in it. And she'd been like, oh my God, you've had one.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:But then she goes, yeah, and a cherry, she gets like, so fucking excited for this cherry
Track 1:love her. She's so funny. She's so beer.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:talked about this last night.
Track 1:She gets so excited about those things. I love it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:It was so funny.
Track 1:That's so funny. I'll have to make one at the bar. I've never had one. Not that I'll drink it'cause I'm 103 days sober, dinging, dinging,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:uh, no, I was thinking about it actually. I hung up with mom actually, and I was like, I should tell Amy about it.'cause I feel like that's such like a cute Valentine's
Track 1:a good Valentine's Day. Yeah, we just finalized our Valentine's menu. But yeah, that would be, that would've been a cute one.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Oh my god. Can I tell you something? This is, this is kind of explicit.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay.
Track 1:Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Rate it r if you don't wanna hear it,
Track 1:where our RI was playing a joke on my f and b manager. So on. It's if you're not in the service industry, f and b means food and beverage. Okay, so Our menus have to be approved through him.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:he's so funny, like he's, he get, he's with a joke. He's like in on the joke always.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:Um, and I was like, okay. So me and my bar manager, we had to come up with this Valentine's Day menu and, um, we were approved three drinks. We actually ended up doing four, but we were approved for three. So I was like, okay, let's get our three Valentine's menu or Valentine's Day drinks together, get creative, let's figure it out. So she's like, okay, cool. And we're trying to name these drinks. And I'm like, I was like, her name's Liz. It's not the Liz we talked about yesterday. But,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:um, I was like, Liz, let's like play a joke on, on, um, on him. And she's like, oh my God, what? And I'm like, I'm gonna name these cocktails like the stupidest names and just send them to'em for approval and just like, see what he says.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:See who
Track 1:Like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:him.
Track 1:obviously we weren't gonna name them these.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:But, um, there was two and I named'em, um, what did I fucking name them? Okay, so one of'em was like a berry and coconut drink.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah,
Track 1:like I had all like the, the description, like the liquors, all the specs, and then like the na, like the title of the cocktail and I called it berries and Cream Pie And then the next one, the next one was just like a martini and I called it Kiss My Cock slash Tail And I thought it was the funniest thing,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:that was a creative, I wasn't thinking that.
Track 1:bro, I was literally in tears. And everyone's like, you're like, when I think something is funny, I just can't let go of it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:And.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like inherited that from dad. Dad used to be that way.
Track 1:I thought that was the funniest thing ever. And then like, I sent it over no context, just was like, here's the Valentine's Day menu. I was like, everything's finalized. I sent it over and it's like berries and green pie. Kiss my cocktail. And he just respond and says, kiss my cock, exclamation. Point, point, And I was laughing so hard and he, it was like a group chat with like, um, our, the ag GM and then me and um, and the f and b manager who approves everything. And, um, the a GM is so like, business, business, like he has no fucking fun. He's such a buzzkill. And he responded and he was like, Amy, seriously? And I'm like, oh my God. Literally it's so, it's funny. I'm like, can you loosen up?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yes, you would've done it.
Track 1:Absolutely.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I was like, literally laugh a little, it's fucking funny. Like seriously Grow up? I thought it was so funny. And I was like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:funny.
Track 1:I was like, did you really? And he was like, well, you never know. You're, you're serious about stuff like that. And I was like, did you really seriously think I was gonna put Kiss my cock on the menu? And he was like, you Yeah, I was like, okay, that's fair.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Fair
Track 1:But you know, we changed the names they're now named, um, drunk in Love and Red Flag.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh,
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:that's good.
Track 1:yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's good.
Track 1:Uh,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:good.
Track 1:I thought it was so fucking funny. So funny.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:funny,
Track 1:Anyways, oh, before we get into this book, I just wanna update everybody on getting my swamp.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:oh
Track 1:So I have it on my nightstand, I'm gonna finish it. There's a sequel, which I think I told you called Stay in My Swamp. And my friend Klo Bean told me that there's I. A scene with Pinocchio in this next book. Okay, so Pinoc, so Pinocchio makes an appearance and I think you can kind of see where we're going here.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Um, he lies while she rides her face, while he, she rides his face and his nose gross.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:can, I could imagine
Track 1:So I can't wait to read that. Anyways, let's talk about the,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:out there that just wants to ruin everybody's childhood memories of these characters.
Track 1:I think she is just like really doing the Lord's work. If you ask me but you know.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:don't bring the Lord into this.
Track 1:Yeah, well I think she's happy about it anyways.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I
Track 1:I,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:don't think I had anything else to really tell you. It's just been like a busy week. I don't, I just, I mean, we had a horrible experience at a dealership a couple days ago, but
Track 1:not the one here in Charlotte.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:to say. No, no, no. In, in Atlanta. But, um, yeah, I just like, he like, I was like, do you just not wanna sell me a car? I just felt like a burden, but that's about it.
Track 1:Do you just like want me to go, I could literally leave
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:could just go like, it's.
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I don't wanna give you my money anyways.
Track 1:Yeah. Sometimes like people, like I understand like people have their days and stuff, but like I think everybody needs to like take a beat and just be like, do I like what I'm doing? And if the answer is no, then maybe find something else because it fucking shows. Especially if you're in customer service or dealing with people or hospitality like,'cause I see it all the fucking time. Like in the industry I'm in, I'm like, do you want to do this job?'cause if not, like you can literally fucking go.'cause like our job is mainly it's, we're in hospitality. Like, so if you're not hospitable or you don't wanna talk to people, like this is not the job for you and that's fine, but.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:even just
Track 1:Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:people in general, like if you're. People just walk around this world being miserable and like mean to people and it's like, do you just not like your life? Like can you figure that out?
Track 1:Like, can you
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:went,
Track 1:figure it out?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:story. We went to, when we were in Charleston, we had dinner one night and obviously had to go get ice cream after. we walk into this ice cream shop and there's this like there at the, at the ice cream thing and someone's like waiting to get checked out and there was like this dad in with a kid in the stroller in front of us. So we were waiting in line and we're like kind of watching,'cause there's only one worker who's like, they were closing soon or whatever. So there was only one worker and the lady sitting there asking, I'm not kidding you, she asked to like try every single ice cream and she, she's like, takes'em each one and sits there and like,
Track 1:She's like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and sits there for a second. Yeah,
Track 1:Ew.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and Jose. You know Jose like that, that r ruffles his feathers I guess.
Track 1:Not ruffles as feathers. What are you?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I don't know. I couldn't think of anything. So he's sitting next to me like fuming, and I'm like, it's okay. Don't say anything. Please don't say anything.
Track 1:He's like, bitch, you done
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and then she's like, no, I'm good. And she walks out
Track 1:shut the fuck up.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:doesn't even buy a fucking ice cream. And so it turns out that the guy in front of us with a stroller, that was his wife. And so Jose's been talking shit about this lady the whole time
Track 1:He
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was
Track 1:loved that shit. He was like, yeah, this bitch is
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Talk shit about my wife.
Track 1:Yeah,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I was like,
Track 1:That's crazy.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:talk about people when they're still around. Like we wait till they're gone.
Track 1:No, she needed to hear that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:well then we went up to the, so then they all leave. So then it's just me and Jose with this worker in the ice cream. And Jose was like, did she legit? Like, just do that. the lady was like, what do you mean? He was like, she just tried every ice cream and didn't buy anything. And she was like, yeah. And she was like, she said she didn't, she said they were too sweet. Bitch, you're at an ice cream place.
Track 1:What the fuck? Like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And so
Track 1:What?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like, I am so sorry. And she's like, you'd be surprised. That happens all the time,
Track 1:Yeah, it does. And it's wild. And I was,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:God.
Track 1:I was listening to something the other day and they were talking about this, about like people ordering from restaurants and like how you ask all these questions, like you're allowed, you're allowed to ask like one question about a dish that you're like a little confused about. Like, Hey, does it have this? And if it, like, if you say, oh, nevermind. And then like, what if you like, unless it's like a horrible allergy situation, like, Hey, does this chicken piccata have peanut sauce on it? Yes.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Okay. I'm gonna go with something else.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Can't do peanuts.
Track 1:Can't do it. You know what I mean? Like, that's fine if you are asking all these questions or like between like the steak or the lobster, what, what would you choose? And the waitress is like, oh, I would definitely go with the lobster. You know, we're like right on the ocean. I. Oh, great. Um, I think I'll have the chicken tender basket. Like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:What?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I hate that shit.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:grinds my gear is like when you go to a restaurant and then they like, you order something and you're like, but can I do this instead of this and change this and put this on it and do this? And it's like, no, no, no. You go to that restaurant'cause they present a menu to you. like, like I've always said, like especially as I've gotten older, I want a meal the way the chef prepared it and like, let me try something new.
Track 1:Right.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like it, I won't come back.
Track 1:And you know what else? You don't have to go to restaurants. Like if you want your meal super specific, you could literally cook it at home.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like Chipotle where you can choose everything that
Track 1:Right? Like go to a subway. I like, you know what I mean? like, yeah. I just thought, I just think that's really fucking funny. People are wild. I can't believe that bitch bought nothing. Hopefully her husband bought like at least four cones.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No he didn't.
Track 1:They both left
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:walked out.
Track 1:Thank God.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:with another family and the other family bought something for their kid, but like, they both didn't buy anything.
Track 1:That's so strange.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:used her time and you wasted all that ice cream to be like, no, that's not good.
Track 1:She's like, oh, I'm full.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Bombass ice cream, like it
Track 1:I bet.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:We were like, we don't know what the fuck she was thinking. It was good ice cream.
Track 1:Interesting.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. That's, I guess that's my rant, but I don't know how we got there. I, I guess I was stuck back in the unconscious. I had to come, I had to come out sometime.
Track 1:I guess that was my part.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I was talking to Jose the other day and we were
Track 1:Well, I'd hope so. He is your husband.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. We were coming home from the bad experience at this used dealership and he, he was, he felt so bad'cause he was like, I was the one who brought you there. And I was like, babe, it's fine. Like, you didn't, you couldn't have known blah, blah, blah. And he's like, oh, damn, now this is gonna be on the podcast I was like, if you really want me to say anything, I won't say anything.
Track 1:He gets it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:fine.
Track 1:He gets it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I just, now that's always in the back of my mind.
Track 1:You know what? I forgot to ask him how his foot was.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh, it's fine.
Track 1:Okay. I feel bad. I should have asked him how his foot was. Anyways,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Well, we have a splinter in this book.
Track 1:we do, you're right.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Isn't that crazy?
Track 1:First of all,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Ugh.
Track 1:first thought. Okay, so we're, uh, we're,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:We gotta open it. I haven't even done the introduction.
Track 1:so fucking funny. Go ahead, do your thing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Well,
Track 1:Go ahead Miss Girl
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay, welcome back. to my sister. Made me read it. Podcast. Uh, thanks for tuning into this chaotic podcast. Today we're diving into,
Track 1:just like home
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:just like Home by Sarah Galey.
Track 1:by s Gale. First thoughts?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it was
Track 1:First thoughts go.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:first thoughts the first 20, 25% got lost in the next 60, and then the last 20% was kind of like, this is fucking wild.
Track 1:I did not like this book.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No.
Track 1:I did not.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Uh, the subject matter. I didn't like. I liked her writing. She's a very good,
Track 1:I liked her writing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:writer.
Track 1:I did not like this book, and I am so disappointed. I wanted to like this book so bad. I think it was so hyped up. Like it was hyped up. The ending was hyped up, and when I got to the ending I was like, we're done.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. I felt that way. I quite literally, I'm not kidding. I've had such a busy week. I finished this book. We were, we were supposed to record it at 11. I finished this book at 10 40.
Track 1:I didn't like it. I'm sad.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No, I get, I mean, I didn't know anything about this book until you picked it, so I guess maybe because I went into it with little expectations,
Track 1:it's a, it's a. Thriller, I would say. Right? I mean, it's obviously not a romance. It's not, it's,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No, no, no. It's definitely a thriller, but it's also like a sci-fi.
Track 1:I don't, I'll, I'll start with this.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:don't know.
Track 1:I love horror books. I prefer, I prefer body horror. I don't like paranormal books. I don't like paranormal books.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:didn't know this was paranormal.
Track 1:I, I don't like paranormal books. I don't think paranormal stuff is scary. I'm into ghosts. I love them. I think they're our friends. Not just anything to be scared of. I just don't think it's scary and like, I don't like reading about them. I feel like it's cliche sometimes when you read about like, paranormal,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah. I think you have to do, it has
Track 1:it's like, and this is, this is something that you run into a lot with, with like the thriller horror genre, like, especially with thrillers, is like, once you've read one of'em, you read'em all. Like they're, it's, it's like the same type of, you know,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I don't know.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:about that when we read the
Track 1:With Housemaid,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like it was kind of predictable
Track 1:I loved the Housemaid. That was different.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was still a great book. But talking about like predictability in the
Track 1:Yeah. It's predictable. So I thought this was gonna be different. I didn't realize like nothing in this. The, um, like the summary of it when you like read the back, when you look into it, nothing mentions like a haunting really, I don't think,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:no it doesn't, and I, I mean, we can get into it, but it
Track 1:but
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:a lot open in the beginning. I don't even know if the, you don't even know, the reader doesn't know if the dad's dead or in prison
Track 1:Right,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:or like what's going on. You
Track 1:right.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:how, like you don't, like even towards the end, I don't, you don't even know much. It's not even like really about the dad being the serial killer.
Track 1:I'm so confused. Right. Okay, let me, let's start, let's get into it. So we start off and so it's about, this girl, her name is Vera. I couldn't even really picture how old she is, but I think we decided she's probably late twenties. Um.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. Yeah. I, we, we talked about like maybe even talking about who we would cast for the movie, for each book we read. And like I was thinking as we were reading it, I was like, I can't even imagine her.
Track 1:I have one person there. I, I have been trying to think of other characters in the book who I would cast, and I can't think of anybody else, but there's the main character for Vera. I have kind of in my head,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay.
Track 1:and I'll tell you in a minute,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:to it.
Track 1:but Vera, um, is living away from home. Um, and she is estranged from her mother. She was an only child. It's her, her mom, and her dad growing up. And she's estranged from her mother in adulthood. She gets a call from her mom, Hey, I'm, I'm dying. I'm sick. I need you to come home and take care of the house and like, wrap all this shit up before I die. So that's kind of like the premise and Vera's like, okay. So she, and we kind of see everywhere, like Vera's kind of like a, um. I don't know if nomads the right word, but she kind of like jumps around because what we kind of get a glimpse of is everywhere she settles, someone finds out who she is and then she leaves that town. Um, which very vague'cause I'm like, is she killing people? Like, I didn't know. Right.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:A lot of things that, yeah, I've highlighted a lot of things in this book that were very vague and, and suggested things.
Track 1:Yeah, very suggestive. Very vague. So anyways, we're back home. Her mom's a straight up miserable bitch. Um, she's dying and we have like an outhouse in the house as well. So her father built the house. Um, the house that she grew up in, the house, she goes back to, there's an outhouse in the back that her mom has hired people throughout the years.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:shed.
Track 1:Yeah. And now that veers back, there's a guy named James Deval who's in the shed. And we kind of find out that he is working on a project. He's like an artist. Um. And he's working on, like creating art about the house. So this is a famous house, so we find out the house is famous because Vera's father was a serial killer.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Hmm.
Track 1:Okay. Father was a serial killer. He killed people in this house. So the house is famous for that. Strange that they still lived in the house. I thought like right. Like after like everything breaks, when she's a child, her father gets arrested for being a serial killer. The mom and the, and the girls in Vera still lived in the house the rest of their lives. Like you would think that house would be like taken like crime scene, but it wasn't.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Well, later in the book it talks about like all the things that were taken by like, um, and stuff.
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:but talking, let's just stop on the house.'cause the house is like. a huge thing in this book and
Track 1:Oh, it's the, the house is the main character of the book.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the fact that the, the dad built the house. But the first sentence of this book, and I'll probably be doing this a lot in this just referring back to what it says because
Track 1:Which is good.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the way she writes is so beautiful. And the fact of like, I kept even being like,'cause I read a lot when we were in the car and I kept being like, Jose, listen to this sentence. And I would say it, I
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:that just make it made you like feel a certain way? And it helped with the like airiness of the
Track 1:Right. I will say one thing. I didn't like this story. I love this author.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. Yeah.
Track 1:Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Um, the first sentence is the Crowder house clung to the soil the way damp air clings to hot skin. That's the
Track 1:Ooh.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:sentence.
Track 1:Yeah. That's what we open with.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And then later on in that, on that page, it says, but the house was built to keep the wind out and the sound in and it keeps referring. I've highlighted like every time it keeps referring throughout the book about this house, like keeping things in,
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:in, keeping sound in. Um,
Track 1:I love that line. It was, it was built to keep the wind out, but this, yeah. Sounds in.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Um,
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and this one too, it says, Daphne had never asked Vera to come home before. Not once in a dozen years. Vera knew better than to let this development give her hope, but she couldn't seem to shake the feeling. It bubbled up like a blister and stuck like a scar. Ooh, yeah. Just
Track 1:Grody.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:roadie.
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Um, no, but on page three it talks about the, the front steps of the house
Track 1:Mm-Hmm?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and, um, tar smell came off the wood of the stairs that led up to the house. These steps were made. A brand new Redwood northing.
Track 1:Nothing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the splintering white stairs that had been there a dozen years before. Nothing like the stairs her father had built. She knew those stairs with her hands and her feet in the backs of her legs. Knew the places where Francis had touched the wood with thick gloved hands and settled it into a shape that would be bring the front lawn and the front door together. Uh, then further down, Vera wondered if in the destruction of the old front steps, anything had been found. But of course, the thing Vera hid there must have been destroyed. So like this diction that she's using is like, like alluding to something that Vera also did in the story. And that's on
Track 1:Yeah. It, it starts in like, yeah, like in the beginning, like it's, and that's kind of throughout the book. I'm like, what was the dynamic here? And I like went back and forth on the dynamic between her and her father a lot, which we can talk about.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:Okay. And I like, even those first few pages, I'm like, okay, was she in cahoots with her father? Did she know something like,'cause we know he's a serial killer, but you kind of like, throughout this book. Uh, the dynamic was weird,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:It is really weird. And I feel like the first chapter, I felt like it gave me the answer of, I think she knew what was going on and never said anything. Like that's what I was going to think. And she just never said anything. But they always knew what was happening in this house. the way she talks about the housekeeping sound and all these secrets in,'cause I think it's the last page of the chapter. Uh, it says the house walled the sound immediately because it was a house that knew how to stay quiet.
Track 1:right?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:so I, I think it's what I was going into. It was like she knew her father was this way and she was keeping quiet,
Track 1:Well, we have a lot, we have a lot.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:after that?
Track 1:We have a lot going on here. We have, and it goes back and forth, chapter to chapter from present day to her childhood.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:So we have a lot going on here. We have, her father is a serial killer. The house is haunted. Quote unquote, if, if that's the right word. Um, for now, we know the house is haunted, and we know this because Vera has, she refers to it as an imaginary friend in her childhood. Um, something that she, she hears and recognizes like a, like, almost like an outside voice. And then even, um, in the middle of the book, she says, like, I realized, like as I aged, uh, to know this as my conscience. So she has like in childhood, like a, a imaginary friend of sorts, but then she, it's almost like she talks herself into as a child, like, oh, this is just my conscience. But then when she comes back as an adult, she realizes, no, this is actually like a haunting, like there's like a, some type of entity in the house that I thought was my conscience. But as a child, I remember being a friend with me. So It seems to be like when we say haunting, like a good spirit of sorts, right?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:and so we have that aspect, and then we have her mother, which is her mom, is really strange too, I think. And we get a lot of, we get a lot of answers at the end, in my opinion. So throughout the book, the mom is mean. The mom is not loving. We sit, we, um, hear like Vera go back and forth on things like, my mom never told me she loved me. Um, like, you know, her and her,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:She
Track 1:she was super cold. She didn't take care of her like she birthed her. And that was like her, her hands were done.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was like,
Track 1:She did her job, you know, she's like, okay,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I brought you into this world. Figure it the fuck out. Um, her father on the other hand was compassionate, loving, caring, loved Vera. Um, and throughout the book we see, there's like little Bits and pieces of journals that she finds from her father, like journal entries. So she's reading these journal entries and, and they all are talking about like, my vera, like I love my Vera. She's, she's so special. She's so good. So there's a good relationship with Vera and her dad, but the mom is, is like the cold parent. Um, and then like there's just so much. And then like as an adult there's a lot going on in there.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. There is. Well, we can go back to the fact like of as an adult, she goes back to this house and stays the night and it's starting. This thing is starting to haunt.
Track 1:The haunting is starting, so the, there's, there's always something under her bed. She feels like.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:on page 26, she opens her bedroom door to go to bed. The first night she's there and she says, her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness of the entryway. The switch dazzled her for a moment, her blink, left a shifting shadow across her vision. She blinked again. The shadow stayed. It was next to her bed. A bunched up thing, something like a man crouching to pick up a penny or his, or tie his shoe. So like she sees this like shadow by her bed
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the first night she's home and she's kind of like, that's weird. And it like disappears
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and, and then, um,
Track 1:Yeah. So
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:her bed that night.
Track 1:yeah, so she sleeps in the bed,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:bed starts rattling, I
Track 1:the bed rattles. She's like kind of remembering things from her childhood, like, oh yeah, like this house is kind of haunted. What
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:uh, that was on page 26 and I, on page 28, um, the noises underneath her bed start happening again that night. And she says there was nothing in the room with her. She could see there was nowhere to hide other than the closet. And that door is still shut tight against everything that could possibly exist in a house like this. There was nowhere else to go except for one place before Vera could talk herself out of it. She's stooped to look under the bed. And I wrote in my book, you looked I would never look under my
Track 1:I know.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:just be like, I'm out. Sorry, I'm out.
Track 1:Yeah, I don't think I would either.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:under my bed.
Track 1:But it's funny, I like the, I like the way that she wrote all of the scenes because like, as an adult, like she's scared, like, she like,'cause like as a child, she's like, this is a, my friend. Like whatever, whatever. And then it's almost like she left the house, she forgot about her life, and then she comes back and she's like, I'm fucking scared. Like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I feel like my husband.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she, she even says like, come on, vevera, hiss, you're tired and this is childish. Don't be childish. Just be tired, like
Track 1:Yeah. She's like trying to like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:herself.
Track 1:shake herself out of these feelings. And I like, every time she kind of like,'cause it's, it's almost like relatable when she's like, I just, before I could think about it, I just looked under the bed or like, she does things like really quick, like before, before she could think about being scared and like talk herself out of it. Um, so I liked, I liked those parts, but yeah, there's like a, there's like a, something in her, in her room, so she likes not, is not sleeping very well and she's like, But as we're going through the book, she's kind of like remembering her childhood. So we go back and forth between our childhood and in her childhood bedroom, there's a peep hole on the floor under the bed.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah, this is weird.
Track 1:So she finds this peep hole under the bed and she eludes to the peephole early on in the book. And I didn't realize until later on in the book when we realized what it was, because she was talking about her childhood and she said like when she walked into her bedroom, I think she was like going through memories. And she said, the feeling of my cheek against the hardwood floor. And I was like, what? That's an odd sentence. And then later on we realized what she's actually doing is laying on the floor, looking through the peephole.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. I originally thought she was like, how you would like put your head up against a wall to hear what people were saying in the room next to you. I thought that's what it was. Like. Meaning,
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and then, um,
Track 1:So what we learn
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:thing came
Track 1:is there's a peephole under her bed in her bedroom that is going into the basement, which is, which she's not allowed in as a child. Her, the basement is like the layer for her dad's killings. yeah. Like the murder dungeon
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:you, did you catch that, that room that her bedroom was originally, the father's was built to be the father's office?
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. So like it was, the peephole was built so that the father could
Track 1:could watch,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:on who he had
Track 1:right? Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:So that's, that was why the, the people just wasn't just there. That was the reason
Track 1:So then it bleeds in. So she switches rooms for some reason. That's not really important. And we wonder, she wonders as an adult, like, did my father, my father knew that that people was there. He knew I was gonna find it. Did he know? Like I would've been watching? Like, so it's, it, we have this weird dynamic between her and her dad. The whole book. Almost like her dad kind of knows she's like him.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's where I thought it was going.
Track 1:That's where I thought it was going too.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:gene because he has the gene, but then it kind of took a left turn when
Track 1:It did.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:he was killing people for pleasure. He was killing people'cause they had bad things in them.
Track 1:And the mom is really tied into that too, at the end.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:get the mom, like,
Track 1:Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I get, I get the mom at the end. I just don't, still don't get the mom
Track 1:So it's so good. I mean, like this, it's not good, but like, I like the, the meat of it is, is interesting. So Vera is to Vera's father tells her in like a little one-On-one. She confesses about something with her friend who's a boy, and her dad tells her, Hey Vera, like when boys reach a certain age,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:they turn gross. It's like cooties times a thousand basically is what this man is doing. Um, and they have a grease in them that girls don't have. Like basically telling her that like, boys are bad, which I get, I get it, I get it, dad, I get where you're going. But basically telling her like that boys are bad and that there's a grease in them that turns them bad.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:so to stay away from them. So she takes this literally as a child does, and her fr her best friend is a boy and she is like convinced that her best friend has grease in him because he tried to kiss her and she takes him down in the basement and stabs him because she's trying to get the grease out
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:It's fucking insane. Yeah.
Track 1:She realizes, oh, I kind of fucked up. This is not grease, this is blood, and he's dying. So she goes and tells her father, and her father takes him to the emergency room and that's when he gets. That's kind of when he gets arrested, gets caught. Now mom blames Vera because
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:for the fa for the father being
Track 1:she wanted, the mom wanted dad to just like, get rid of the kid, Brandon just be like, fuck him.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:kid.
Track 1:Like whatever. Um, and he's like, no, he's a child. I'm taking him to the emergency room, and this is over. So dad kind of like confesses to everything, forfeits everything. Um, and Mom is pissed at Vera for that, which was interesting to me. That was kind of the first point. I was like, so mom knows what's going on. She knew about like the serial killing. She knows about all of this and didn't want him to confess, wanted him to stay in the house with her and, um, didn't want him to get caught. So now mom blames Vera for him being caught. And now mom says to her, don't ever speak to me again. Like, once you're 18, you're out of here.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. Yeah. It reminded me of, um, and how in verity she Was so in love with her husband that she couldn't have love for her children
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:loved the children more.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it's the same
Track 1:It's the same idea.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:jealousy for your child.
Track 1:Yep.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Um,
Track 1:And we know that
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and we
Track 1:he loved to beer.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:end. yeah, he had like such a, and that dichotomy too is cool in the book of like, he had so much love for her, his child, but even like with Brandon, like he wouldn't, he was like, he's a kid, I
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:kid. So like, he has like that, like moral
Track 1:tell you my theory. I'll tell you my theory. I think mom is the master in this book. I think she's the one. I think that's something that was, that is easily missed. I think mom is the master. I think she took a mentally sick man and manipulated him, and convinced him, because remember, Um, Vera says a lot in the book, like, my dad believed so much that these men had grease in them. Like these people had bad in them. Like the dad really thought that
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:He believed he had it in
Track 1:he believed he had it in himself and he wa he didn't like at the core, like he was a, like a good person. Remember like, she even like alludes to that, like with the journals and stuff. And, um, he was capable of like loving people. Like her mom wasn't, the mom is the, is the bad one here. And she took someone who was like mentally ill, I think,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:and, um, had issues.'cause even remember, like she talked about like how she would see like her parents, like the, the mom would be like, he would be crying to, to his wife and saying like, I'm so bad, I have this in me. And she was like, well, to prevent like you from being bad, like you can get the grease out of other people. Like, she put those words in his head.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No, I agree with, no, I agree with you. I think she was, but I think that's why the ending was disappointed for me because I was like, there was no certainty on like anything about
Track 1:Uh, nothing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Like I wanted the mom, this is messed up, but like I almost wanted the mom to be like, we find out she would go down to the basement with him and do those things with him and like be also like
Track 1:No, she had hands,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:but
Track 1:but I think that was, that was, um, like purposeful. So she wasn't convicted of anything. Like she had nothing to do with any of it. She just kind of manipulated the whole situations.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah, I don't know. But yeah, that's like that whole serial killer aspect of the dad isn't even like one of, like we were saying, it's not even The point of this
Track 1:It was not at all.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it was just kind of like a side thing of like, she goes out like Vera as an adult now is going out to get like boxes for, to pack up the house and like people hate her
Track 1:People hate her because of her father was a quote unquote serial killer,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and like
Track 1:from, from the outside. But you have to think about it too, like reading this book, we have an in an inside perspective of what's going on from the outside. All we see is this man had a murder dungeon and he is kidnapping people and killing'em every 14 days.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:And that's what the people in the city knows. And going back to like Vera, like as a child, like she snuck into the basement once, right? So she like sees through the peephole what's going on. She's not afraid. She's like never been like not scared. She doesn't think this is wrong. She like, I mean, you go as a child, you go see your dad's tying people up and killing them. That would scare me. That would scare anybody.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:You know, so she goes down and sees this man. She's like, I just wanna see for myself. So she goes down and sees this man chained up and he's like, begging like, please help me. Like, you can untie me. It's okay. It's okay. Like, we'll get outta here together.'cause she's like eight years old or something. And she's like, no, it's okay. I just wanted to tell you it's okay. And he's like, what? Like, what do you mean? And she's like, he'll kill, he's gonna kill you tomorrow. You won't be suffering anymore. And he's like, what the fuck?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was like, you've been here for 13
Track 1:13 days?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:kill you
Track 1:The 14th is the last day, so you'll be fine. You'll, you'll die tomorrow. Don't worry. And then just goes back upstairs like nothing. But she says like, she felt like, like a,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she
Track 1:a satiated hunger is what she would refer to it as.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And she like takes off the, the duct tape and the cloth and his mouth and he like, is screaming and she's like, she like panics and
Track 1:Yeah. She's like, you're gonna get me in trouble.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:caught.
Track 1:I.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:is so interesting. So, so then throughout the book, before the ending, before like the haunting stuff really, and the paranormal aspect really comes together, I'm thinking like, okay, this, this, I mean, maybe I'm, I'm the weird one for thinking this, but I thought the relationship between the father and the daughter was like, gonna get weird. Do you know what I mean?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:think that. No,
Track 1:I did.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:mean. But
Track 1:I felt like, like the way that it was written and the way that she talked about her dad, I was like, are you guys like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:ancestral
Track 1:y'all gonna kiss right now? Like, that's like, that's like the vibe that I got.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she did, she like drops hints throughout the book and then at the end you find everything. So. I thought was all the noises she was hearing in the middle of the night, I didn't really assume it was a haunting.
Track 1:Did you think it was
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was hearing the, the
Track 1:murders? Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:'cause there's a one page when she like snaps four times and then she hears like a faint four snaps back. And I put like ghost or victim question mark, like, which one is it? And then I was like, oh, maybe it's all of his victims are now like haunting this house
Track 1:the house.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:spirits can't move on.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it was like, um, never thought that it was the dad's spirit if it was haunt. I never thought that was the dad.'cause you find out that dad, dad died like in the middle of the book that he got like
Track 1:He died in prison.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. So then, you know, he went to prison and then he, he died. And you find that out like halfway.
Track 1:That is a good, that is a good point. She does throughout the childhood. Like when I, when I say like, she looks at this, this entity as like a friend. Like, she'll say like, I heard my parents fighting. And I would, she would be like, I would close my eyes and then it would stop. And like, she would be like, I snapped my fingers four times and, and the fighting would stop. I wouldn't hear it anymore. And everything would be calm. And, and like she does say those things. And then at the end of the book, let's just say it also, I think the whole James Duval of it all was completely unnecessary.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I agree. I agree.
Track 1:I feel like there was no reason for that at all,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:to be there. No, I agree.
Track 1:because nothing comes of that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:distracting.
Track 1:It was distracting. And because you think like, what is gonna happen? I thought maybe it was gonna be like a love interest at first.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. I
Track 1:Like I thought
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like a sick type of
Track 1:I, yeah, I thought they were gonna like get together, but that was completely unnecessary. And then in the end, she kills him in the end. And maybe, maybe it's like symbolism to like, she's always had this in her. I don't know. I just thought it was weird, the whole James Deval of it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:too,
Track 1:Um, but
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:doesn't even like kill him. Sorry. She doesn't even kill him. The way her father would kill people. She literally like bangs his head into the ground and then she throws him down the stairs in the basement and closes the door.
Track 1:it was like a rage. It was like a rage killing, like a ki like a crime of passion almost.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah.
Track 1:Um, so throughout the book, the mom's dying, she's bedridden. Um, and as Vera is trying to get legality set up with the house, she, the mom would say weird shit. And it, it's like things that were like, okay, this person's dying. Like she's senile. You know, she's just like saying shit.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:She wasn't eating.
Track 1:And
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:only drinking lemonade.
Track 1:she was just drinking lemonade, not eating. Like she was just saying weird shit. And she would start saying things like, you know, I've always loved you. Or, you know, like, I like telling her that she loved her. And Vera's like, what? Like you've literally never even liked me. Like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:what? And so Vera's like, obviously wanting more of this. I mean, her mom's dying and she's never heard her mom show any affection towards her. So she's like, mom, what are you saying? Like, and so throughout the book, what's her name? Daphne. Daphne, the mom's name. Daphne is, will say these things and Vera just thinks it's weird and she'll be like, mom, what? And then she'll snap out of it and like fall asleep or something. At the end. So her Vera's try, she's like, okay, there is a spirit
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she
Track 1:or something in my bedroom. She's like, there's something.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:night, she goes and buys a new bed frame so it lays completely on the ground so nothing can be under her bed. And she wakes up one night, she has like a good night's sleep and she's like, wakes up with her eyes still closed. And she's like, wow, it was best sleep ever. She opens her eyes her beds is not in the corner anymore. It's in the middle of the room
Track 1:It's propped up.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:up on the bottom shelf of the dresser that's now been opened. So like her room is like in disarray
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:what the, like what the hell? Basically like I, how does this happen? So the next night she's like, I wanna catch the thing that comes out of my floor in the middle of the night, basically.
Track 1:Yeah,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And she catches something
Track 1:she does.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I only imagine as like looking like an alien
Track 1:Right? So she sees, so she is hiding in the closet. She sees this thing crawl out from under her bed. It looks like a fucking alien. Like you're right. That's a great way to put it. Um. She sees it. So she puts like pillows like you would as a kid if you like, sneak out. She puts like pillows under her blanket to make it look like someone's in the bed and she sees this thing stand over her. Oh shit. Hold on. Let me tell Melanie. Melanie just asked me if I wanna go to Hobby Lobby. Fuck yeah. I wanna go to Hobby Lobby. Um, so she sees this thing crawl up from under her bed and stand over her in like a loving, like a loving mother would her child, watching her child sleep. That's like the vibe I.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Okay, so
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:of like the movie Mother
Track 1:I never saw the movie Mother, but that's so fucking weird that you said that because the person I imagine as Vera was Jennifer Lawrence.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh, huh.
Track 1:Can't you see that?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:who's the girl in the haunting of Hill House?
Track 1:That's another good one.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's who I was thinking. I've never seen that show, but that's what I was thinking.
Track 1:That's another really good casting. Oh, wow. Maybe I like her better.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:And you know who I think of? James Duval.
Track 1:Who?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Oh, I just banged my elbow on the wall. Army hammer.
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:The alleged cannibal.
Track 1:Alleged confirmed.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Hey, was it confirmed? I don't know. I don't wanna get sued.
Track 1:Interesting.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Oh my God. I'm writing this down. I need a pen.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I'll text it to you. Go
Track 1:Okay,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Talk about,
Track 1:I,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:um,
Track 1:I thought Jen Lawrence, just because she's like, kind of like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Lawrence
Track 1:rough around, rough around the edges a little. That's funny. Um, yeah, so she basically catches this thing, so she makes like a gasping noise or something, and, and the thing hears her and runs away. So then she goes and goes in the,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:room,
Track 1:runs out the room. So she kind of
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:follows it
Track 1:it, she follows it, and what she sees is this thing crawl into her mother from the mouth, crawl into the mother, right from the mouth. She goes in the ma. So she describes that. She sees like the mom's jaw unhinging
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Unhinging,
Track 1:and sees this thing crawl in, and all she sees is like, uh, like little, like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:long, she
Track 1:long fingers,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:have hands. It's just six fingers.
Track 1:six fingers, and it just goes in like, just like slips in there. And she's like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:just only imagine the sounds kept saying like gurgling and
Track 1:Ugh.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:sloppy type
Track 1:Yeah. So basically we're at the crescendo of the book and
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:is it? What does she say to it? God,
Track 1:she's like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Sorry.
Track 1:what? And then this thing, the mom basically comes to life, and now we're putting two and two together. We know it's not the mom, this little entity thing is basically wearing a skin suit of the mom, right?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:And it starts talking to Vera and it keeps calling her Vera baby, Vera baby. And is like, you weren't supposed to see me. You, I've never, I've, I wasn't meant to ever be seen. Um, so she kind of puts two and two together and, and is realizing like her mom is not, is no longer earth side like,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:No.
Track 1:and hasn't been for a while. And the thing that called her mom was the entity that's crawling in, um. Because I guess like the entity like felt things coming to a head and knew that she needed to get Vera back to the house. Um,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:so that's who's, like, the mom is no longer,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah. So she follows it out and she says, don't please, uh, Daphne's head was tipped back her throat exposed the room, dark gray grease dreamed down her chin and neck and chest. Her mouth hung open. Her jaw was dislocated and hung loose at an angle. Her throat and chest worked with the mu muscular con of a feeding snake. set of two long, two sharp fingers, and the ones that. The thing beneath the bed had used to drag itself across the floor were clustered between her lips like flowers, erupting from a vase. A wet guttural clicking came from
Track 1:ugh.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:within Daphne's throat, or maybe it was her chest, her torso heaved. One more time. The fingers vanished between her lips, into her mouth, down her throat, and then they were gone.
Track 1:Yeah. But basically we know that that is, that's the thing. And the, the ending of that chapter, oh my god, the ending of that chapter. I'm just gonna read the ending. It says, so Vera's watching all of this,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:all clicks in her head. Vera leaned forward in the chair, flexing her feet against the gentle throb of the wood floor. I know what you are. She whispered the thing in the bed, looked back at her worly. Oh, veer nodded. I know you, I remember you. She licked her lips and then before she could stop it, a smile bloomed out of her mouth like the crown of a mushroom. You are the house. So this entity is the Crowder House, which we have been saying this the whole time. The, the main character of this book is the House.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. Right before that you have to, we have to say this because this is how this entity has been made and that's why I say it looks like an alien.'cause it's like fleshy.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:thought of her hair collecting at the bathroom floor, vent, her sweat, washing down the shower drain. She thought of the way the house always seemed to be breathing with her. Um, she thought of the drain in the basement and all the blood that had coated the pipes over the years her father had lived in the Crowder house.
Track 1:I did not even put that together, Abby.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:How There's another spot, though, earlier on, I think I highlighted it, but
Track 1:So all of the,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the fact that like all their, she, I told Jose about, I know I had to
Track 1:it's just like a big walking lump.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:about like sweat and hair going into the couches and
Track 1:Oh my God, that's so gross.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:you naturally shed as a human
Track 1:It's just a lump of this. What? Oh, sick. Sick.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. I don't
Track 1:Um, so this thing, the entity is the house who loves Vera. So it's, oh, here it is. The next chapter of the opening says, they made us, this is the house talking. They made us the thing in the bed, spoke with the urgency of immense relief. Do you understand? They invented us together from their sweat and their blood and their flesh. They created us. We didn't ask to be born, did we? We didn't ask to have to soak up their sins and their expectations. All we ever did was love them and all they ever did was hurt us talking about the parents.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:Um, and then the creature says, or Vera says, he loved us though. Speaking of the Father, Vera repeated softly more than anything. Oh, he loved us both as best he could. The thing in the bed, the Crowder house agreed. He tried to build us and steady He tried to build us strong and steady and whole, but he didn't keep us safe. He didn't know how to shelter us from all the hurt that was waiting because he thought the hurt was the shape of love.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah, I just put this together.'cause then later on it says, um,
Track 1:Oh fuck. And then it says,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:me.
Track 1:the only speaking of the mom, the only thing she ever wanted was loyalty. And you were loyal to him. Do you see Vera Baby? I couldn't stop her from hating you. I couldn't stop it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah.
Track 1:Maybe this book is better than I thought it was.'cause now I'm kind of understanding it a little bit.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it's'cause
Track 1:It's just strange.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like it's just a. That's weird. Like, that's just weird that like, there's an entity in the house, but it's actually like a physical made of MJ podge
Track 1:Maj
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:stuff. Like,
Track 1:It's a modge podge thing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:then so, so it goes into the mother and then it starts talking about like, yeah, your mom's been dead. I try to hold onto her, but like, she died the night that she yelled at you. Like her first night there when she yelled at her at dinner, or the second night that she yelled at her at dinner.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:After that she actually died. So it's like, okay, so we don't get anything from the mom, really. It
Track 1:No,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:to this this flesh, like human being thing. human yeah, and then like the whole James devolve it, like he wanted to take the house and the, the being was like, no, he can't have the house. Like I.
Track 1:it's weird. The James Deval of it all is point pointless. I didn't like that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah,
Track 1:I did not like that. I, because I, you think it's going in 14 different directions. Oh, with the James Deval, but it just doesn't. James Deval is dead. Basically wrapping it up, we end, let's see, let's see here.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Well, she kills James Deval and she throws him down the basement door, the basement stairs, and then she's just kind of like, yeah, this is my house.
Track 1:and she, she kind of is like, you know what? This is where I am supposed to be. Um, it says she sied into the embrace of her best friend and oldest friend, letting herself smile into the crowder house's neck. So she's hugging this modge podge of an alien house thing.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it how like her hand was against the neck and her fingers landed where like hair would be
Track 1:Nothing could come between them now. Nothing could stop them from being together. I'm like, this is sexual. Don't you worry about me, Vera Crowder said, and she meant it. I'm the happiest I've ever been. And that's the last, that's the last line. We get
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah,
Track 1:weird.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I just felt like it, it just leads you with a lot. And I don't like that. Like there was no, like the whole Brandon thing, him getting stabbed in the stomach was quick.
Track 1:The Brandon of it was weird.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:dad went to the prison. The whole, like his father, the dad also killed Brandon's father. Nothing really came from that, like we could see, like, it wasn't about a serial killer, it was a serial killer's daughter in a haunted house. But like the whole, the whole serial killer thing truly didn't feel like it fit because it was like nothing, it wasn't even like the victims were haunting the house. Like what was
Track 1:No,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:of him
Track 1:I think the serial killer. I really do.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:him.
Track 1:I really do think like a big theme of it is the mom. I really do. I'm not gonna let go of that. I think the big theme of it is the mom being this crazy, manipulative person, and she's the one who made him do these things. That's what I think now, wrapping it up, knowing the ending, I don't feel like really any of it was. Like I, I don't know. Like it just feels like what? Like that's how we're ending. Okay.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:I don't know.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:when the mom, when he's, when the being is like, yeah, your mom died a few days ago. It was kind of like disappointing.'cause it's like we didn't get shit from the mom.
Track 1:'cause the mom's a big theme.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:we didn't get any answers. We didn't get any exclamation, like, explanation. Explanation. Like
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:we didn't get anything. A fact from the fact that she just loved her husband more than she loved her child
Track 1:Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:to like not do any, like when she fell off the bike, she like cleaned her wound, she gave her hydrogen peroxide and like But she really sat there to tell her like, don't tell your dad about this thing. And then she like got up and left and was like, you should put a bandaid on that. Like,
Track 1:Which I think is deeper than, we're just, Jo, we're joking about it. I think the, the way that I read that scene. Well now looking back, do you think I don't know.'cause I don't know
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:knew. I think the mom knew that the husband would
Track 1:what's gonna,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and that that would create like a protectiveness
Track 1:okay, so this is my thing. This is my thought now that you just said that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay.
Track 1:The mom, when she fell off the bike and told her, Brandon kissed her, was like, oh, I'm so sorry. She took care of her wound. She says, do not tell your father. Just trust me and be a promise that she wasn't gonna tell her father.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:that before, we know a lot.'cause that was semi beginning, middle of the book before we really know and we're trying to figure things out.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Mm-Hmm.
Track 1:I read that as the mom knows that the man that the father kills people, the mom was trying to protect Brandon. I thought the mom was trying to protect him and saying, if your father finds out that this boy tried to kiss you, he's going to kill this kid. That's where I thought, but now looking back on it. I think if she, if he would've found out that that happened, I don't know actually now that I'm working through it,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:'cause I thought the exact same thing. I thought, oh,
Track 1:but now knowing
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:the
Track 1:she's protecting the kid, but now she doesn't want him to know because she doesn't want him to do anything about it because she doesn't want anything to come out and she's trying to in turn, keep the dad from, from getting caught doing anything.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:was Brandon's dad missing at that point
Track 1:No,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:after?
Track 1:it was after Vera told the dad
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Huh? Yeah. I don't, I don't know.
Track 1:it was at, this is what happens. Remember? She tells she confesses. Well, she says that slip up to her dad after she took her fishing, and then she confesses to the dad about how Brandon tried to kiss her. And then they go home and then that's when she sees Brandon and Brandon's like, come with me. Brandon starts crying and says, my dad's been missing for four days. And then.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:right.
Track 1:We realize as readers, oh, this Vera's dad is trying to punish the dad because Brandon tried to kiss her.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:It's some, it's connected.
Track 1:Mm-Hmm,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. I don't know. Maybe we'll have to sit on it. Maybe one of you guys who are listening can help us out,
Track 1:Yeah.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:us some insight.
Track 1:But now like, like going back and talking about it, like it is bringing different, different possibilities to it. And it may, it might be deeper than we thought it was.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I Maybe. I'll look it up. I'll see if I can find an article or something.
Track 1:Well,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:even in like the acknowledgements,
Track 1:oh, I didn't read that.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:puts like the National Domestic Violence Hotline and
Track 1:Interesting.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:like people who,
Track 1:I'm telling you. Because that bitch was crazy.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:she says, many of us spend our lives searching for something too big to truly name something that is inadequately summarized as unconventional love. If you've gone out seeking this enormous thing and found yourself in danger, if you have sent, if you have spent any part of your life thinking that something monstrous was normal or inevitable, if you have lost some part of your self in the process of looking for a place that feels like home, I hope you know that you've always deserved a better kind of love than that.
Track 1:Maybe this is all just like a, a symbolism
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That's what, so I read the acknowledgement and I was like, is she someone, is, she's just like an author that speaks out against domestic violence?'cause maybe she has experience with it, or
Track 1:or is the house like symbolizing something? Huh? But that also kind of, um, gives light to my theory about like how the mom was, was the bad guy, and just like a, like, took advantage of this man.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:And especially that one scene, and I should have marked it. I don't annotate my books, which I need to start doing, but I should have marked the scene where he, where they say that like, he was crying in her lap, like saying that he was scared he was bad and she was convincing him, like, as like manipulating him and saying, well, as long as you keep Getting the bad out of other people, you'll stay good.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah.
Track 1:Like that's abuse. Like she's manipul, like she's the one who's sick and wants to kill people, but she's using him as the tool to do it. Like she's manipulating this, this person who has like a feeble mind. You know what I mean?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah. Did you, um, because it, it's mentioned kind of a few times in the book about like her having having grease on her hands,
Track 1:Right.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:and then like the whole grease about like the grease with the dad, and then. At the end when she's getting her mom a lemonade before we find out about all the other thing, she's getting her mom a lemonade and she sees like a lemonade bottle has
Track 1:I had grease on it. Mm-Hmm.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:That was confusing to me of like, are they imagining this is something making them see this or are they like crazy in the head and like they see dirty things as like, I don't know. Is that like a physical hallucination that they're having? I don't know. Or is it like the same idea of like how if you have like a gas leak in a house, it can make you sometimes hallucinate or like is there like something going on in it's the house putting something out? Like I was going through every possible scenario being like I'm a little
Track 1:Yeah, I am over it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay.
Track 1:What'd you rate it?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:podcast
Track 1:I have to pee so bad.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Okay. I don't know what I rated it. Um.
Track 1:So now sitting here, I feel like my rating is changing. See, I originally, when I closed the book, I said 3.2,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:mm.
Track 1:but now I feel like
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:a four. I don't know.
Track 1:I feel like it might be a little bit higher than that now that we're kind of dissecting it.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I don't know if it's a four. Now I'm thinking about it.
Track 1:I'm happy to have her on my shelf. She's cute.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:yeah, she's cute. But, um, okay.
Track 1:Hmm?
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:next week we're getting into all the Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan. That's my book. Um, thank you guys for
Track 1:It's
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:You
Track 1:another,
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:us.
Track 1:another little thriller.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:I think it is. Yeah. You can follow us at My sister made me read it podcast on Instagram. Amy is Amy Preti on Instagram? I am Abby Preti on Instagram. All of the info is down below in our show notes. Check that out. Please write us on the platform you're listening to Put your thoughts on this book. What did you think about this book? Maybe you can explain
Track 1:Maybe you can explain it
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:it.
Track 1:and watch out because I have a whip now. So
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Yeah. Um, yeah, whatever. Alright, bye
Track 1:come get your spankings.
abby_2_01-14-2024_121011:Alright, bye.
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