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Aug 11, 2016ArapahoeJeremiah rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is very sad but it’s beautifully told and serves as a good cautionary tale. Set in wintery rural New England it’s a short novel about Ethan Frome: the bad circumstances he’s in, the choices he makes, and the consequences of these choices. It employs the creative use of a frame story, told from someone outside who’s learning about the story himself. The narrator sees and meets an intriguing character (Ethan), a limping quiet forlorn man, and wants to know more about him. Flashback 24 years and we’re told the story of who he is, what happened, and how he got that way: Ethan’s put in a bad spot, between his spiteful sickly wife (Zeena) and his wife’s young cousin (Mattie) who lives with them. The story revolves around the romantic feelings that develop between Ethan and Mattie, and what ends up happening, resulting in a horrific type of irony at the end. It’s a reflection on the capacity of bad circumstances to stunt and mutilate human potential, and on the difficult balance (and/or imbalance) of taking care of others versus taking care of yourself. This is a story where the setting serves as a type of character too, playing a big part in the novel.