The Host- Chapters 10 and 11

Chapter 10- Turned

I can't remember what has happened previously. Oh yes, Wanderer loves Jared and Jamie but NOT REALLY because she's only feeling Melanie's feelings. And I think they're going to go save them? There was also some shit about crazy Uncle Jeb and a map that isn't a map and a Stryder ranch house but I hope that's not integral to the story because it didn't make that much sense.

So. They are now in a C-store. She's stealing something but it's unclear what...a bag? I think. She's going to steal 3 gallons of water. Put it in a stolen bag. And walk out, without the cashier seeing. I'm sure she won't see the cumbersome bag that you didn't pay for as you walk past the counter out of the one room, tiny gas station. Good luck with that Wanderer.

I love how Wanderer thinks about betraying Melanie, when she knows that MELANIE CAN HEAR HER THOUGHTS. She's all like, "I'm not going to go through with this. After I get more information I'll tell the Seeker all about where Melanie's family is." Even if it was sad attempt at rationalization, can Melanie really afford to take that chance? Jared and Jamie are the most important things to her. She can't afford to believe that Wanderer is lying. Melanie's personality keeps changing, not unlike Jacob's from the Twilight series.

Ha ha, Wanderer, you're an idiot. She went to steal a whole box of water bottles. Let me tell you, you are NOT sneaking those out of a gas station. She almost drops the box and then yells "You're kidding me!" Way to be discreet. Melanie calls Wanderer by name. I'm just...confused about what their relationship is supposed to be. I mean, Melanie should hate Wanderer but treats her more like a stupid but loyal friend. Wanderer should hate Melanie, but she seems to be almost subservient to her at times.

Never mind, they aren't stealing. I don't know why I was under the impression that they were.

Something weird about the Yeerks. Apparently they take over a planet and then do the exact same things the humans would. For instance, there's a guy working at a gas station. If you were capable of interstellar travel, would you use it to travel to another planet and then work at a gas station? Why not just do that on your homeworld if it floats your boat?

As aforementioned, Melanie can influence Wanderer with her feelings. It seems to me that Wanderer would be more concerned about this. Empirically, she knows that they aren't her feelings. Wouldn't she fight or be freaking out that she was losing control? She's just going along with what Melanie wants. No one here reacts in a normal way.

Why is Melanie making Wanderer walk? Why can't they drive? So confused. Oh wait, never mind. They're off the beaten path so a car can't travel where they're going.
For a moment, I allowed myself to see the prison that was life without a body. To be carried inside but unable to influence the shape around you. To be trapped. To have no choices. For lamenting the lack of choices Melanie has, Smeyer sure doesn't choose to give her characters much free will.

So they're driving out in the desert with minimal food and water. If this turns out to be a great Machiavellian plot on the part of Melanie to get Wanderer killed so Melanie can finally be free, I will have a lot more respect for Smeyer. But I'm only 16% through the book, so I doubt she's going to die. I doubt anyone's going to die. Has Smeyer killed off a character, even an unimportant one? OH YEAH she killed off Irina in Breaking Dawn, in a rather gruesome way. Other than that though, I can't remember anyone dying.

The chapter ends with Wanderer sleeping in the car on a deserted road.

Chapter 11- Dehydrated

Weird words used: (YES, WE FINALLY HAVE SOME!)
Critters
Noodley (as in "like noodles")
Smooshed

With a title like that, I wonder what is going to happen in this chapter.

Wait, they ran out of gas? I don't remember this. Whether this is because at this point I'm onl y skimming, or because Smeyer is a bad writer, I can't tell. To be safe, I'll blame her.

So the two of them are fucked; stuck in the desert with little water and no way to get back. This kind of reminds me of The Eight (awesome book, and I should read it again) when Lily and Cat (is that her name?) get stuck in the desert with no water and I think a helicopter deus ex machinaed them out of there.

So now they're walking through the desert. Melanie is begging Wanderer not to give up Jared and Jamie to the Seekers. Wanderer doesn't know if she even can do that, because she loves them, but not really. I'm not understanding the motivation behind these two characters. Melanie has no reason to trust Wanderer, yet she is for some reason. Wanderer has no reason to love Jamie and Jared, but she does for some reason. Wanderer should be freaking out and angry that Melanie is taking control of the body more and more, but she isn't. ARGH WHY CAN'T YOU BEHAVE NORMALLY?

So...did they figure out how the map worked? It seems they did but...I don't remember this happening. They keep talking about "markers." I'm not sure what these are. Maybe I just skipped over that part accidentally.

Wanderer is so stupid. She's guzzling the water and eating the granola bars, apparently not realizing that a) they have a finite supply and b) they might be in the desert for a very long time. Doesn't she watch Survivor? Aaaaand she just realized she drank over half their supply. Dumbass. Here's another example of how Smeyer takes about two sentences too many to say something:

I looked for the half-empty bottle I'd last drunk from, rummaging through the fulls and empties until I began to see a pattern. With a slowly growing sense of alarm, I started counting. I counted twice. There were two more empties than there were fulls. I'd already used up more than half my water supply.

She could have just said "With a sense of alarm, I realized I had already drunk half my water supply." On an English assignment I just got back, my prof said, "It is better to be precise than to rely on wordiness that says nothing." This comment is also appropriate to Smeyer.

Anyway, now the two of them have found a house. Melanie thinks someone might be there, but Wanderer is sure the Yeerks wouldn't be this far in the middle of nowhere.

I think the story of Uncle Jeb would be better than this story.

Wanderer thinks humans might be living in this house and they decide to check it out. Smeyer decides to be anvilicious and says the Yeerks were united in a goal and purpose and worked together to beat the humans. Wanderer finds a bunch of newspaper clippings about murders, DUIs, child molesters, and suicide. Melanie says that these people were the exceptions, and Wanderer says that maybe the Yeerks were right in taking over the bodies, that they could make things better on earth. Melanie suggests she could have just blown the planet up, and Wanderer says they don't have the technology. Oh please. They have the technology for faster than light travel but not for making some explosives? Call up the Vogons and make a trade.

Melanie is exciting about finding some bleach. Brain bleach? For me? Please? I need it! Never mind. It would seem that Melanie's dad used to store water in bleach bottles because the residue kept anything from growing. Okay...? Did you then drink this water? Because that is gross. She is drinking the water! I guess she's desperate but still...she's drinking water from a bleach bottle. I hope you die now.