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The Center of Winter
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Plot Summary of The Center of Winter
"The Schiller family is torn apart by mental illness. The autistic-like symptoms of their son, Esau, has brought Claire and Arnold's Schiller's marriage to the breaking point and Arnold kills himself with a single bullet to the head. In the aftermath, Claire, Esau, and the youngest Schiller child, Kate, must come to terms with Arnold's suicide and learn how to piece their lives back together. Claire's best friend, Donna, is also struggling with her husband's post-Vietnam, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and its resulting depression and alcoholism. Donna's son, Davey, helps Kate to cope with the death of her father while Donna provides Claire support.   When Donna's husband also comes to a mental breaking point, the two families must learn to re-define what being a normal, small-town family is really all about."
Jennifer Martin-Romme, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Center of Winter
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - present (2000-2010)
Family, caring for ill Yes
Who is sick? - Son
because he/she is - mentally ill
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Coping with loss of loved one(s) Yes
Loss of... - husband/boyfriend/squeeze
Battle with a psychiatrist Yes
Brain/Body disability? - mental illness

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - blue collar
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - unemployed
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - mentally ill - emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - druggie/wino disease

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 (an average amount)
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Style
Person - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing
Unusual Style: - No single main character?
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Marya Hornbacher Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jennifer Martin-Romme  

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