Winter Stroll

“Kelley reads the letter through again, and considers deleting the whole thing. Divorce, jail, MIA/POW: it reads like the CliffsNotes of a Dostoevsky novel.”

The passage alludes to the 19th-century Russian author Feodor Dostoevsky, evoking the emotional intensity and moral complexity of his novels. Kelley’s list creates a compressed, almost overwhelming, sense of his life’s current crises. The humorous tone is relatable, in contrast to the gravity of the events listed. There is hyperbole in equating his holiday letter to the sprawling chaos of a Dostoevsky plot, emphasizing Kelley’s feeling that his life has become excessively dramatic. The passage highlights the theme of The Search for Stability and Identity that many characters, including Kelley, grapple with throughout the novel.

“[T]onight, on Nantucket, her old, strange home, everything feels jagged and in-her-face painful.”

The description of Mitzi’s homecoming uses imagery to convey emotional intensity and a visceral sense of discomfort. The reference to “her old, strange home” highlights a sense of alienation, suggesting that even familiar spaces can feel emotionally destabilizing depending on one’s circumstances. The setting of Nantucket represents both memory and the unresolved tensions of the past, centering Mitzi’s personal perception of the place rather than its objective reality.

“What you find in life […] is that everyone is fallible. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone messes up. Even dads.”

Kelley’s message to his grandsons drives home the idea that no one is perfect and that everyone makes mistakes. This highlights the theme of Family Resilience in the Face of Crisis. The tone is casual, making his point feel like friendly advice instead of a lecture. By including himself, Kelley shows some self-deprecation, a strategy of preaching to his grandsons without being heavy-handed. Kelley’s speech resonates throughout the text, asserting that the best we can do is be forgiving, especially with family.

“[T]he oxy made everything better. It gave Jennifer wings and cast a golden glow of optimism over the entire situation.”

The passage uses imagery to show how the oxycodone transforms Jennifer’s perception, making her feel light and invincible. The metaphor of it giving her “wings” emphasizes the temporary escape it provides from reality. The exulted phrasing creates a contrast between Jennifer’s drug-induced euphoria and her underlying desperation. The internal perspective allows the reader to experience her altered state firsthand, illustrating how substances can temporarily distort reality and offer relief while masking real challenges.

“I know nothing, and when a mother knows nothing, her mind goes to the darkest places.”

Mitzi’s line to Drake uses direct, simple language to convey the raw intensity of her fear and helplessness. The vivid imagery shows the mental spiral of worry and anxiety that comes from uncertainty. Mitzi’s universal maternal experience makes her fear both personal and relatable. There is also a sense of foreshadowing, hinting at the emotional and possibly dangerous extremes her thoughts might reach.

“Ava feels safe with Scott. With Nathaniel, it always felt like she was dangling by her ankles outside a ten-story window.”

The passage uses vivid imagery to contrast Ava’s emotional experiences with Scott and Nathaniel. The window metaphor conveys intense anxiety and a lack of control, highlighting the danger and instability she feels with Nathaniel. In contrast, the simple statement that she “feels safe with Scott” emphasizes security and comfort. The phrasing captures Ava’s internal conflict and the theme of The Search for Identity and Stability that she struggles with throughout the novel.

“She doesn’t like to consider how many times she has decided to be done.”

This line captures Jennifer’s growing self-awareness around her substance use. However, she resists fully confronting it because she doesn’t think she can cope without its aid. This moment reveals the gap between Jennifer’s desire for control and the reality of her dependence.

“Margaret didn’t blame him for not wanting to dive into the Quinn family stew.”

Here, the metaphor of the “Quinn family stew” emphasizes the embroiled mix of relationships and tensions, making Drake’s reluctance to engage stand out. The contrast between him and Margaret illustrates how different characters handle emotional entanglements differently. While some men might be unsettled by their partner’s unconventional relationship with an ex, Drake is not bothered. The passage underscores both Margaret’s investment in family dynamics and Drake’s calm, self-assured approach while maintaining his personal boundaries.

“George might as well have poured lighter fluid on the hot coals of her anger.”

The passage uses a metaphor comparing George’s actions to lighting a literal flame, emphasizing how much his decision intensifies Mitzi’s frustration. The imagery evokes both heat and danger, capturing the volatility of their argument and the rapid escalation of Mitzi’s emotions. Mitzi perceives that George’s decision to spend time with Mary Rose is deliberately, or at least carelessly, provocative. This also illustrates how small actions around the holidays can trigger strong emotional reactions.

“Two Ativan and a glass of wine is like a three-hour vacation on a deserted white sand beach.”

The simile reinforces how Jennifer finds temporary relief from stress and reality through substances. Comparing her combination of Ativan and wine to a tropical vacation evokes imagery of escape, calm, and isolation, underscoring the seductive appeal of this relief. There is a sharp contrast between the brief, artificial sense of peace and the ongoing challenges she faces in real life, a tension that continues to build and strains her relationships throughout the novel.

“She’ll bury Nathaniel’s card deep in her ‘Things That Might Have Been’ file.”

By imagining the card being stashed in a metaphorical file, Ava is able to hold on to the fantasy of her relationship with Nathaniel while moving on with her life in a more realistic way. The finality and reflection show that she is consciously choosing not to pursue a connection that is seductive but unstable. It also reveals her tendency to compartmentalize past experiences and emotions, keeping them separate from her present life.

“[T]he wine and the beauty of the night conspire against her, as does the fact that Scott isn’t here now and won’t be here tomorrow.”

Ava’s phrasing of the moment preceding her decision to kiss Nathaniel, portrays the romantic environment as actively undermining her self-control. This removes agency and blame in her mind, making her choice seem both impulsive and inevitable. It emphasizes Ava’s struggle between being loyal to Scott and being caught up in the moment. She resisted Nathaniel’s request to kiss her before, but now can’t deny her attraction.

“She has an established life, a certain way of doing things, a daily routine, a weekly routine, a yearly routine. And so does Drake. Does Margaret really want to go through the unwieldy process of melding the two together?”

Margaret reflects on the practical and emotional challenges of combining two lives when both partners are at later stages in their lives. The repetition of “routine” underscores the stability and predictability she values in her own life, highlighting how deeply ingrained her habits are. By paralleling Drake’s routines with her own, the text conveys that a relationship’s success involves more than love; it requires negotiating lifestyles and personal patterns. The phrasing also evokes a potential for friction, showing Margaret’s realistic approach to major life decisions and illustrating her careful consideration of long-term commitment.

“Good news, he thinks as he falls asleep. Let it be good news.”

The repetition of “good news” in this passage emphasizes both Drake’s desire and his apprehension, highlighting the theme of Seasonal Rituals as Anchors During Instability. This moment comes in a quiet moment at the inn with Margaret after the party, where the couple has a chance to regroup and confront this news privately rather than publicly. This is also an important characterization moment for Drake. Drake’s professional background as a pediatric brain surgeon informs both his patience and his measured emotional response, allowing him to hope for a positive outcome without jumping to conclusions.

“He’s happy Mitzi is back. She belongs here. She is his wife.”

The passage uses simple, declarative sentences to convey Kelley’s contentment and sense of certainty about Mitzi’s return. The wording emphasizes a feeling of homecoming and belonging, highlighting the stability her presence brings to him. By stating “[s]he is his wife,” the text reinforces Kelley’s commitment to family as the core of his identity.

“Ava didn’t meet Nathaniel on the museum widow’s walk because Scott was gone; she went with Nathaniel because a part of her still loves him.”

This passage reveals Ava’s emotional honesty and the complexity of her motivations. By rejecting the convenient explanation that she acted only because Scott was absent, the narration emphasizes her accountability and self-awareness, highlighting The Search for Stability and Identity. This moment complicates Ava’s sense of loyalty, showing her struggle to reconcile lingering feelings with her current choices.

“She let herself get sucked back into his irresistible vortex, and now she’s in the same spot as a year ago—stuck between Nathaniel and Scott.”

The passage uses a metaphor to describe Nathaniel as an elemental force that draws Ava back despite her better judgment. This imagery emphasizes her tendency to deflect agency from herself onto external factors, like the environment or people around her. The cyclical nature of her choices reveals that she is repeating an emotional pattern rather than moving forward.

“He may have grown up with Norah, but it was Isabelle who finally turned him into a man.”

This line exemplifies Kevin’s transformation. While Norah represents Kevin’s past, Isabelle and Genevieve are his present and future. There’s also an implicit value judgment in “turned him into a man,” framing Isabelle as the catalyst for Kevin’s attainment of responsibility and self-awareness.

“The oxy makes Jennifer invincible. That, perhaps, is its finest quality. For the time that it’s running through her blood, she can make the world do her bidding.”

The passage reveals how powerless Jennifer feels without using prescription drugs, especially when faced with her children’s pain and needs. The tone hints at self-justification, framing the drug’s effects as almost admirable. Jennifer uses substances to create an illusion of strength when she feels overwhelmed and unable to manage the emotional demands placed on her, which is often. Her challenge in the novel is whether she can learn to manage these demands with the support of her family rather than substances.

“Drake promotes optimism—but not false hope—in his line of work, and he won’t do it here, either.”

This line highlights Drake’s ethical clarity and emotional discipline through his work as a pediatric brain surgeon. Promoting optimism without offering false hope reflects a balance between compassion and honesty, especially in situations where outcomes are potentially tragic. Applying this principle beyond his profession shows that his values are deeply ingrained rather than situational. It also contrasts with other characters who cope through denial or wishful thinking.

“She is not a baton to be handed back and forth between them, nor a prize to be won. She is her own person.”

In this passage, Ava asserts her autonomy and rejects being defined by her relationships with men. The metaphor of a baton critiques the idea of women as objects to be transferred or claimed, emphasizing how limiting those roles are. By insisting that she is “her own person,” the line centers selfhood and agency over romantic competition. The declarative tone conveys resolve and self-respect, marking a moment of self-definition, as Ava pushes back against narratives that reduce her to someone else’s choice.

“Ava […] wonders how she could have so thoroughly dismantled her relationship over the course of one short weekend.”

This passage highlights Ava’s rapid loss of stability within the novel’s tight timeline. She seeks self-determination, but her reflection on how she ruined her relationship shows how fragile her control is. The quick timeframe amplifies the emotional impact of her choices, with her indecision and vulnerability magnified as events unfold rapidly. It also emphasizes the tension between impulse and intention, as even decisions made in a short period of time can have lasting effects. The weekend’s events deepen Ava’s reflection on her identity, forcing her to confront who she is and what she wants in days instead of years.

“It’s almost as if it isn’t Jennifer Barrett Quinn at the table, but rather her doppelgänger, or a Jennifer who has been body-snatched and replaced by an alien.”

This passage uses exaggeration and metaphor to convey how fundamentally altered Jennifer appears to herself and to those around her as a result of her substance use. Describing her as a “doppelgänger” or someone who has been “body-snatched” suggests a loss of authenticity and uncanniness, as if her true self has been displaced. Jennifer herself feels most disconnected from who she has become, reflecting her own sense of estrangement and loss of control due to her substance use.