In the Midst of Winter

 In the Midst of Winter 

By Isabelle Allene

I am returning to this book a month or so after reading it, so the details are a bit fuzzy. Here's what I remember: The book brings together three people from very different backgrounds. There is Richard, an academic from NYU whose alcoholic past resulted in tragedy and a subsequent life of obsessive attention to routine. He is also the landlord and recruiter of Lucia, a lecturer at NYU with an unfortunate level of personal knowledge of Pinochet's regime in Chile. And then there is Evelyn, who immigrated illegally from Guatemala -- and who brings the trio together when she shows up at Richard's door after a small fender bender. The issue? Turns out there is a body in the trunk of the car. 

Evelyn didn't do anything, of course. The car, and the murder, belongs to her employer. But she's scared and finds sympathetic ears in Richard and Lucia. So they embark on a plan to get rid of the body, an "adventure" that brings them closer together. In the process, Richard's heart -- frozen with loathing for himself and the world -- thaws, which is, you know, ironic given that the book takes place in an epic blizzard. Not to give too much away, but he falls in love with Lucia.

This was certainly a good read. But I'm not sure exactly what the point was. The plot seemed real thin and kind of beside the point. It was almost as if the author created these characters and then had to come up with some weird, far-fetched way to bring them together. Also, Richard's character seemed altogether unrealistic. One moment he's ornery. The next he's head over heals in love. I don't think that's how humans work. But what do I know?