Response to Northern Lights Reading Assignment

So. Despite sincerely disliking the character, I chose to finish the book yesterday during our half snow day. I will however, do my best to reflect on the reading assignment actually assigned.

I found the nature, I guess, of Clarissa's mother disappearing disturbing. How does a mother simply decide at that moment, when someone relying on them to be there, that that is the moment to leave everything they've made for themselves behind? Or was it predetermined, a planned leaving? The mother seems to have psychological issues (which, to be honest, become more reasonable later in the book) and therefore no conscience. But to erase yourself out of someone's life like this- no later phone calls, no reassurance, no hints, and never once letting them know that the woman they loved is still alive, but changed all together. I guess I just can't fathom doing such a thing- to a human or animal. Anything.

Still though, despite this traumatic childhood of Clarissa, I still find her reaction to finding out her father was NOT her father is unreasonable. In fact, looking back on her mother's way of life, the chaotic instability, her strange characteristics, it almost seems likely. This goosechase around Lapland seems like a really poor way of finding her own history.

I don't want to talk about her near-loss of virginity, because it gets touched on later and the book and I'll spoil it.