Wide Window (Series of Unfortunate Events #3)

Rereading the Wide Window by Lemony Snicket was a great experience, and I think a lot of that is because out of the first three books that were turned into a movie, this is the novel that was changed the most. Well, not changed so much as so much of it was left out. I had forgotten so many of the details, and it almost felt like reading it for the first time. Lemony Snicket has a wonderful way with the names of people and places. He uses so many alliterations for places and often the names he gives the characters have underlying meanings if one has a grasp of vocabulary and history. This book was no exception with places like Lake Lachrymose and Curdled Cave, and names like Captain Sham (who is really Count Olaf) and even Josephine and Ike are famous hurricanes. The entire Series of Unfortunate Events if filled with names and places like this, and it makes it such a joy to read.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny find themselves with their third guardian in this book, their Aunt Josephine. The woman is terrified of almost everything, believing that a doormat will trip people entering the house, door handles will shatter and blind her, and the stove will burn the house down. She does however love grammar, and is constantly correcting the children’s, even when they are upset or in Sunny’s case, a baby.

While at the store a short time after the Baudelaire’s arrived, they run into Captain Sham, Count Olaf in disguise.  As usual, no one believes the children about who he is, and Olaf is able to charm Aunt Josephine into liking and trusting him. Just like with Uncle Monty, that is a big mistake. The three Baudelaire’s come out of their room one day to find the window overlooking the lake below smashed and a note saying that Aunt Josephine has taken her life and if leaving the three children in the care of Captain Sham.

Despair wraps around the children until Klaus and Violet realize that the note was a code, telling them that Aunt Josephine had only faked her death and was at Curdled Cave. At lunch with Mr. Poe and Count Olaf, the three manage to sneak away, steal a sail boat and with the help of Aunt Josephine’s atlas, find Curdled Cave and their Aunt.

Sadly, that is not the end of the story. Aunt Josephine is as irrational, scared, and more concerned with grammar than the children’s safety. After pleading and threatening her with realtors (another of her fears), she finally agrees to go back with the children and confront Olaf, hopefully putting him in jail. While sailing back to shore however the sailboat is attacked by vicious Lachrymose Leeches, who smell the food that Aunt Josephine had just eaten.

Violet and Klaus start to signal the shore for help, but the only help that arrives is Count Olaf, who pushes Aunt Josephine into the water and watches as the leeches tear her apart. Once back on shore, Mr. Poe refuses to believe that Captain Sham is really Olaf until Sunny bites his wooden leg, revealing his eye tattoo underneath. Of course, thanks to Mr. Poe’s ineptitude and short sidedness Olaf once again escapes capture, leaving the children sitting on the pier wondering what will happen to them next.