April 13, 2015
I got beef with this book. On the one hand, there were things about it that I really liked. But, there were so many details that didn't make sense to me and some plot holes, that it's driving me nuts.
I'll dive right in with the good stuff. First off, the title. There's a literal slippery slope, a frozen waterfall that comes from the top of Mount Fraught. When Violet and Quigley Quagmire (he's alive! More on that soon) climb to the top, they find a kidnapped Sunny there. But the title has a deeper meaning, going back to the Baudelaires' ongoing morality crisis. They nearly set a trap for Esmé in order to set up hostage negotiations for Sunny's return. But they realize that this is going too far; they don't want to be villains. It's a "slippery slope" indeed; trapping Esmé, and possibly injuring her in the process, could lead to other deplorable acts. So they come back to themselves; they are determined to beat Olaf without violence.
Sunny gets the bad ass award for this book. She holds her own against Olaf and his cronies, even when they give her tasks that are absurd for such a small child. When Violet finds her, she decides to stay on Mount Fraught to spy on Olaf's gang, forcing her sister to realize that Sunny isn't really a baby any longer, but a toddler, and an exceptional one at that. And she's developing a talent beyond biting shit: the kid's got a way with food.
Violet is growing, too, starting to become a young lady. She and the lost Quagmire triplet have a cute moment as they climb Mount Fraught. Snicket doesn't give details, but it's implied that they held hands or even kissed. Awww! That makes Quigley's separation from the Baudelaires at the end of the book a bit hard to stomach.
So there were many revelations in this book, which was both good and bad, I think. It seemed like Handler only wrote it to bombard readers with bombshells...it was a bit overwhelming after all the withholding in the previous books. Plus, the whole V.F.D. situation is maybe getting too complicated. Here are my questions regarding this book, and some that I hope will be answered as we move forward:
-If V.F.D. really does stand for Volunteer Fire Department (as I once guessed), what's with the eyes? The disguises? The lions and eagles and reptiles? What exactly do they do?
-When did this schism in the group occur, and why? That might explain why Olaf, Esmé, and the sinister unnamed duo didn't know that the green smoke signal thingie wasn't really a cigarette...
-What's up with the sugar bowl? Why did Snicket take it from Esmé in the first place? And why does she think Beatrice did it?
-How did Olaf and gang not see the charred remains of the V.F.D. headquarters from the top of the mountain?
-Is it significant that Carmelita's uncle Bruce wanted Uncle Monty's reptiles?
-Were Monty and Aunt Josephine in V.F.D. at some point? If so, how would they not recognize Olaf's disguises?
-If the Baudelaire and Quagmire parents knew that they had enemies who were greedy, unscrupulous arsonists, why wouldn't they do a better job protecting their homes, their children, and their assets? It's not as if they didn't have the means!
-Why does Olaf want to burn down the homes of all the Snow Scouts' parents? It's not like they're all wealthy, right? What's the point?
So I'm feeling a little bothered by the direction this series is going in. There's only three books left to go, but I'm almost feeling like I've hit the high point in the series already. I hope not. And I hope that my above questions are answered, along with one more: where the hell are all the volunteers?
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