A well-written, depressing little book.

Putting to one side the struggles that they were facing due to money, I can't say any of the characters were particularly likeable. Perhaps Mattie was before

her accident

, but definitely not after.

Zeena is harsh and rather unkind. This said, she's a chronically ill woman who's husband shows no interest in her and her attempts to find a cure. Whilst he makes eyes at her relation/maid, it's completely understandable where a sense of bitterness would come from. With an implication of people talking about how Mattie should have been sent away sooner, you can see why she did what she did, even if the way in which she did it was cruel. Furthermore, at the end

after the accident

it's a sudden change to go from

heading swiftly towards death and in dire need of someone to look after her and her husband

to

well and able to care for herself, her husband and a severely disabled relative

.

Mattie is a naive girl with no one to care for her but her aunt (who doesn't speak to her) and Ethan. When an older man is showing you such kindness and making eyes at you, it begins to feel unsettling. Furthermore, it's more than understanding that

she becomes the way that she is when their joint suicide attempts ends as it does

.

In regards to his wife and Mattie, Ethan got what he sowed. Whilst reading, I found myself wondering if Ethan's attentions towards Mattie were one-sided, thinking that the book might take a controlling, creepy path. I'm glad that that wasn't the case. At the end of the day though, he wanted to

have an affair

and even though he couldn't follow through, he was ready to

kill himself instead

. He's all over the place as a character.