Revelation (For the Reader)

The event that brings about the climax of the novel is when Christopher’s notebook is taken from him by his father. On page 80, Christopher forgets his book on the kitchen table, and his father finds it and reads it. Seeing that Christopher has broken his promise, the two have a fight, and it appears that Christopher’s book is thrown away. Christopher, not wanting this to be true, looks for it around the house. When he finds it, it is hidden in his father’s closet. He also finds letters addressed to him. He reads the first, and though the reader is aware that this letter is from his mother, and that she is still alive, Christopher is woefully unaware. Tragically, Christopher’s first reaction is excitement. Not that his mother might still be alive, but that “When I started writing my book there was only one mystery I had to solve. Now there were two.” The second mystery was who this Christopher was that the letter was addressed to. It could not be him, he thought, unless the letter had been stuck in an envelope with the wrong date, because clearly, his mother had been dead for eighteen months as of the date written on the envelope.