Chilly Scenes of Winter by Ann Beattie

This is the story of a love-smitten Charles; his friend Sam, the Phi Beta Kappa and former coat salesman; and Charles' mother, who spends a lot of time in the bathtub feeling depressed.

nn Beattie has published eight novels and ten collections of stories, among them Chilly Scenes of Winter, Falling in Place, The Burning House, Love Always, Picturing Will, and Another You. She was the Edgar Allan Poe Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Virginia (emerita). She is a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters and of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She and her husband, Lincoln Perry, live in Maine and Key West, Florida.