I started reading a book called "City of the Beasts". It's about a teenager named Alexander. He has a sick mom, and while she had to go to a special hospital in another state, Alex has to stay with his weird grandmother for a week. But he has no ordinary grandmother. His grandmother is an explorer, who has traveled to many parts of the world. This time, she's going to the remote islands of South America, where there's apparently a (maybe fake, maybe not) beast, a legendary yeti of the Amazon. and this time, she's taking her grandson with her.
I think Kate, Alex's grandma, is a very interesting character. She rarely shows any love to Alex, the way most grandmothers do. She treats him like an adult, and doesn't even care about him that much. She just seems like a crazy old lady that likes to go on expeditions with scientists and explorers. But I still think she has some love deep inside for Alex. In the book, Alex notices the glint of pride in his grandmother's eyes when he does something brave while they're there, or that little hint of sympathy when he gets hurt.
But I'm not sure why she tries to hide it. She barely says a word to him throughout half the book, and even if she does, it's usually not very polite. I think the reason might be because she's trying to look tough or something, trying not to look all loving and sympathetic in front of all the photographers and professors she's on the expedition with. I think it's that, or that she is just a tough person who doesn't get any sympathy herself, probably some of the expeditions she's been on she was alone, so she's trying to toughen Alex up too. She's kind of a complicated character.
