47 pages • 1 hour read
Winter in Paradise
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Part 1, Chapter 1-Part 2, Chapter 8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.
Part 1: “Stateside” - Part 2: “Little Cinnamon”
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “Irene: Iowa City”
On New Year’s Day, Irene Steele, an editor recently demoted at Heartland Home & Style magazine, is at home in Iowa City. Unable to reach her husband, Russ, by phone, she meets her friend Lydia for dinner. Irene teases Lydia for flirting with a barista, and Lydia notes that Russ is devoted to Irene even after so many years of marriage. Back home, Irene ignores a call from a 305 area code, but when the house phone rings with the same number, she answers. A woman named Marilyn Monroe, secretary for Russ’s boss, informs Irene that Russ has died in a helicopter crash in the US Virgin Islands and reveals that he secretly owned a villa on St. John.
Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary: “Ayers: St. John, USVI”
On New Year’s Eve, Ayers Wilson works a busy shift as a server at a local St. John restaurant. Her ex-boyfriend, Mick, arrives with his new girlfriend, and a coworker takes their table to spare Ayers the interaction. Throughout her shift, Ayers texts with her best friend, Rosie, who is with her mysterious boyfriend, known only as the Invisible Man. After work, Ayers celebrates the new year alone on the beach.
