In Curtis Sittenfeld's novel "Prep," the narrator reflects on the emotional landscape of winter. She finds a sense of comfort in the solitude and bleakness of the season, suggesting that winter allows for a natural acceptance of unhappiness. The chill and isolation provide a stark contrast to the expectations of happiness often associated with warmer months.

Interestingly, the narrator's thoughts take a darker turn when she muses that summer, typically a time of joy and vitality, would be the season in which she might consider taking her own life. This juxtaposition highlights the complexities of human emotion and the pressures that come with societal expectations, turning what is often seen as a happy season into a source of distress for her.