one of these days I'm gonna leave you in your sleep

A fair number of people have made note of this:

You might've read it in school, though certainly not after, because no one would read Ethan Frome if he or she didn't have to. Except for Stephin Merritt, principal figure of Magnetic Fields and at least three other indie-pop bands in various stages of undeadness.

"I used to read it every year on my birthday," he says. "It's 99 pages long. Perfect for birthday reading."

Ethan Frome. On his birthday. Every year.

"As setting, it can't be beat," he continues. "It expresses everything about how horrible New England is."

I can sort of see that he would be into Ethan Frome. One thing has been bugging me though. I didn't think that it was that short. Or does it just seem that long because it is so interminable?

So I did some checking:

• Signet Classics Version - 176 pages - This version has a Forward.
• Penguin Classics - 112 pages
• Enriched Classics - 208 pages - This one has a lot of extra material.
• Waking Lion Press - 108 pages

So, yes. A copy that clocks in at 99 pages seems possible.

Other tidbits I've discovered:

The Cliffs Notes for Ethan Frome - 80 pages

The only "Statistically Improbable Phrase" in Ethan Frome - "Hired Girl"

Finally, I want to share this review of a audiobook version that I present in its entirety:

Kids will respond to the audio version of Ethan Frome, in the same way they have responded to the book. First, kids enjoy short fiction, and Marilyn Langbehn's fully voiced reading is short. Also kids like strong feelings, and what is stronger than Ethan's restrained fury at Zeena? Finally, kids are intrigued with irony and view with awe Ethan's twisted fate.

Next time you are hurting for ideas for your child's birthday party, why not an Ethan Frome theme? The kids can all dress up as their favorite characters and if it's wintertime, you can all go sledding! (Merritt's is January 17th, just to pull things together.)