Friday, October 17, 2014

Radical Read-along: Hallowed Day 5 Discussion

Radical Read-along: Hallowed Day 5 Discussion
AUG
13
2013
This is my discussion post for chapters 17-21 of Hallowed by Cynthia Hand. WARNING: There are spoilers for Hallowed and Unearthly in this post.


Christian takes Clara to Aspen Hill Cemetery, where her mom is to be buried. He promises to be there for her when she needs him. He knows that she and Jeffrey are Triplares -- and he's one too. He says this means they belong together. His uncle has taught him about the Triplares and believes there are only ever seven of them on earth at at time. They are very powerful and must be protected.


Christian tells Clara he's been having a new vision of the cemetery and one in which he kisses her right where they're standing. They kiss for the first time then and Clara, too, feels like they belong together. She pushes him away.

The next day Clara goes to Tucker's rodeo competition. There's another girl there cheering him on, Allison Lowell, one of the girls he took to prom last year. Clara reads her mind and discovers that Allison really likes Tucker but knows she has no chance with him. Clara leaves without talking to Tucker.

Clara spends time with her mom, who gives her a charm bracelet and says that they will find each other in the glory. Clara asks again about her mom's purpose. Her mom says that her purpose is Clara. She explains that when she first met Michael, she recognized him because she had been dreaming of him, of kissing him. She developed a crush on him but he went away for three years, and when he returned she rejected him. She fought her purpose too.

Clara's mom dies the next day. Her father vanishes at the same moment.

When Clara goes to her room, Christian is waiting outside her window. She takes a nap. Christian is still there when she wakes. He flies away just before Tucker knocks on Clara's door. After a few minutes with Tucker, Clara sends him away. She just wants to be alone.

A few days later Tucker complains that Clara is pushing him away and has been for months. They argue and she tells him that Christian is part of her purpose, that she doesn't love him the way she loves Tucker but she and Christian make each other stronger. She tells him that she kissed Christian. He walks out. Christian is outside. Tucker punches him, which starts a fight. Clara and some of the angel-bloods break it up so that Christian, who is stronger due to his angel blood, won't hurt Tucker. Clara sends Christian away.

That night Samjeeza calls Clara. He didn't know her mom had died. He says he should have felt it. Clara yells at him and says that her mom didn't love him, was always meant for someone else.

Tucker shows up at the funeral but Clara asks him not to go to the cemetery. She says Samjeeza will be there and he's angry because of what she said. He wants to go but she tells him not to. That's why he's not there in her dreams. The graveside ceremony goes just as it did in Clara's visions. She feel's Samjeeza's sorrow at knowing he's lost her mom for good and she calls out to him. She gives him the charm bracelet. He says he's the one who gave it to Clara's mom.

The police are waiting for Jeffrey when they get home. They want to question him about the fire last summer. Billy sends the police away (no warrant) and Jeffrey admits to her and Clara that he set the fire. It was his purpose. Alone, Clara apologizes to Jeffrey for being so focused on her own purpose that she didn't think about his. He says he did his part but she failed at hers. She says that if she hadn't, Tucker would have died. Jeffrey says he was supposed to save Tucker. He was out there searching for Tucker

Graduation. Jeffrey isn't there. He left the day after his mother's funeral. Angela is announced as valedictorian, one of three students who will be at Stanford next year. Angela, Clara and...? It's Christian.

Tucker wants to know if Clara will be around for the summer. She won't. She's going to Italy with Angela. Before she goes, she and Tucker say goodbye for good. She doesn't tell him this but she wants him to be with someone who can truly love him.

Michael takes Clara to the Tetons, where they walk to the edge of heaven where she can see but not touch or talk to her mom.

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