Winter

The main theme in the novel is that of winter, the symbol for the perpetual state of frozenness the girls are in. Lia and Cassie are stuck in between worlds, not truly living and not truly alive: "You're not dead, but you're not alive, either. You're a wintergirl, Lia-Lia, caught in between the worlds. You're a ghost with a beating heart. Soon you'll cross the border and be with me. I'm so stoked. I miss you wicked" (p. 196). In a way, the girls are frozen in time and this is reflected in the presence of winter in the novel. Physically, Lia is always cold. The main reason for this is her lack of body fat, but it also echoes back to the theme of winter. On the surface, the novel takes place in the months of October - December, the beginning of winter. Symbolically, winter represents thin trees...