I am curious about who else is reading this book and holding back comments. But that's ok. These chapters are all long. There is a total of 16 or 17 in the book---ugh. So with long chapters, there is a lot going on. And I am beginning to see that little things matter in this book....like there was just a small mention of Sheriff Hock and how he was courting Clarisse. All of a sudden, it is looking like it is going to be significant. So you may get lost a few times when I come to a realization that I had never mentioned some little detail, but all of a sudden I bring it up later. You can see how much is missed by reading my summaries, since I never know what I can ignore-----and that is apparently nothing.
Like in this chapter, when Roy was taken to jail, he was disgusted with the filth in there and asked for a cleaning bucket, mop, and rags. He had been in there so many times when he was drunk and never gave a shit. But now that he is sober, he is like a different person and is a total clean freak.......should I have mentioned that??? I don't know. But I am not retyping the whole book---even if it feels like it. (Lucky for me, I started my life working as a typist!!! )
They have not given us any information on Marzine's family in this chapter. She shows up again in the next chapter, and I will deal with it then....but a hint: she is from a very poor family.
If you want my opinion of the sheriff and what he is up to....and this is just from the feel I get of the narrative...I think that he is intending on forcing Clarisse to marry him by finding a way to tie her to the Chavers being in the cellar, and basically setting her up and agreeing to keep it quiet if she agrees to marry him. I think that he is wanting to use her beaded dress as evidence....but the dress has been buried now. I don't know if this will work, and I hope not because he is a really sick bastard. He really wants to hurt her, dominate her, put her in her place because she is self-sufficient and can provide for herself with her profession. Now I am still unsure about how Delphine ties into this, except that she is her best friend and he might think she knows something about it.
Who knows. All I know is that Erdrich will develop all of this as time goes by, since she has so far.