Summary
In the cold, desolate town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, a mysterious, crippled man named Ethan Frome lives a life of isolation and bitterness.
The story is framed through the eyes of an unnamed narrator who slowly unravels the tragic events of Ethan's past.
Once a sensitive and hopeful young man, Ethan's life took a devastating turn after marrying Zeena, a sickly, joyless woman.
Their joyless marriage becomes unbearable when Mattie Silver, Zeena’s charming cousin, comes to live with them as a companion and housekeeper.
Ethan and Mattie fall in love—but their passion is stifled by poverty, social expectations, and Ethan’s sense of duty to his wife.
The forbidden affection builds slowly, simmering under the surface in a tense and emotionally claustrophobic environment.
When Zeena threatens to replace Mattie, the couple's desperate decision leads to one of the most haunting climaxes in American literature—a tragic sleigh ride that ends in irreversible consequences for all three.