The theme of the broken family is found in many, perhaps most, of Hall's novels. Many of these broken families result in misery for the children. For instance, in The Solitary, the main character has lived such a painful, humiliating life because of her destroyed family that she takes the first opportunity she can to live by herself, far from others. In Hall's novels, including A Killing Freeze, the main character forms a close bond with whoever cares for her.

The key to this close bond in A Killing Freeze is the father's dedication to caring for his daughter; Clarie has never had reason to doubt that he loves her and wants to care for her. Further, he has never rubbed her nose in the sacrifices he has made in order to raise her.

This is where Hall usually places most of the responsibility for successful...