Winter Stroll

Mitzi is a round, secondary character and the estranged wife of Kelley. When the novel begins, she is living in Lenox with George, the man who played Santa Claus once a year at the Winter Street Inn. Mitzi and George were having a weekend-long affair every year for 12 years and she left Kelley to be with him. She returns to Nantucket under the pretense of attending Genevieve’s baptism. However, her true motivation is based on the deep unhappiness in her new relationship due to an unresolved longing for Kelley and a desire to confront Bart’s disappearance together rather than in isolation.

Unlike other characters, Mitzi refuses to hide her grief. She drinks openly, cries publicly, and allows her anguish to surface in socially unacceptable ways. Through Mitzi, the novel explores the limits of Seasonal Rituals as Anchors During Instability. Bart’s uncertain fate almost entirely consumes her. As the novel observes, “She is a prisoner as well—to her worry, her fear, her anxiety, and her bad habits” (5). Mitzi ultimately leaves George and returns to Kelley, recognizing that only Kelley can truly understand the depth of her grief. While their relationship remains complicated, their bond explores the ways couples navigate sorrow together, echoing the theme of Family Resilience in the Face of Crisis.

Ava is a round, secondary character. She is the only daughter of Margaret and Kelley Quinn, a young woman trying to hold on to her independence amid the intense dynamics of her family. Ava struggles with her romantic life, and these moments force Ava to confront her true feelings and consider what she really wants. When she decides to kiss her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel despite being in a relationship with Scott, the text illustrates her struggle: “Ava doesn’t like losing her sense of self like this. She doesn’t want to identify herself as Scott’s girlfriend. She wants to think of herself as Ava Quinn” (144). This shows her determination to define herself on her own terms, but she cannot do so in a way that isn’t self-destructive. This shows her emotional immaturity and sets up a growth arc that develops over the course of the series.

Ava’s preoccupation with her romantic struggles keeps her somewhat emotionally distant from the family tensions that unfold over the weekend. It isn’t until Genevieve’s baptism that the importance of her role as godmother becomes clear. The responsibility makes her pause and reflect, not only on the baby’s life but also on her own choices, her relationships, and the kind of person she wants to be moving forward.