“He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing unfriendly in his silence.”
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This book was absolutely beautifully written and such an emotional journey. What would it mean to live a life bound by duty and obligation when your inner life is rich with yearning and contemplation? This is the question Wharton poses through Ethan. 

She makes no judgments about the morality of his love for his wife’s cousin. Instead, she balances righteous indignation from Zeena and breathless affection from Mattie and leaves it to the reader to decide where they stand. 

I liked how the pickle dish was symbolism for an unused and then broken marriage that ultimately was hidden from view with hopes no one would discover the truth. The outcome of the love chosen could be seen as karma, or is absolutely heartbreaking. I love how Wharton forces us to sit in this grey with her. 

And wow, some of the most beautiful sentences I have read all year are captured in this tiny but mighty novel. I felt completely immersed in each scene. More importantly, I felt so present for each character’s emotional landscape. 

I liked the use of a winter storm as a plot device to get our narrator to Ethan’s house and set off this uncovering of his innermost desires, shame, and personal history. 

I will definitely be seeking out any other works by Wharton and plan to revisit this in a few years.