Publisher's Synopsis
The Narrator, an engineer assigned to a job at a power plant near the town of Starkfield, MA, is intrigued by a tall crippled man he sees at the local post office. He learns that the man, Ethan Frome, was injured in a sledging accident 24 years earlier, but can get little more from the secretive locals. Circumstances lead the narrator to hire Ethan to drive him to and from his work. One night a violent winter storm forces Ethan to invite the Narrator to stay overnight at the Frome farm, where what he sees inspires him to reconstruct the tragedy.
The Narrator's vision begins with 28-year-old Ethan Frome peering through a church window at 21-year-old Mattie Silver, Ethan's wife's cousin. Mattie works at the Frome farm, where she provides domestic help to Zeena, Ethan's ailing wife, in return for room and board. As Ethan watches, Mattie dances with the arrogant Denis Eady, son of the town's wealthy grocer. Jealous, Ethan eavesdrops as Mattie refuses Denis's offer of a ride home and begins the two-mile walk back to the farm alone. Ethan hurries after her and they continue past a dangerous sledging hill, where Mattie's friend Ruth Varnum and Ruth's fiancé Ned Hale have recently avoided a serious accident. The attraction between Mattie and Ethan is palpable but unspoken. When they reach the farm, they are surprised to find the door locked. Zeena greets them at the door, complaining that she is feeling "too mean to sleep." Ethan goes to bed with an uneasy feeling that Zeena guesses his feelings for Mattie, though she gives no outward sign.
