Book Analysis. "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult

The Tenth Circle
Well, the book references Dante's Inferno, which is what one of the main character's teach as a class and what the father uses as his comic inspiration. In Dante's Inferno, Dante describes the nine circles of hell. There is a level for each sin, the ninth circle being reserved for traitors or people who betray someone they have a relationship with such as Judas.

At the center of this last circle is Satan, who was of course the ultimate traitor. The tenth circle refers to a deeper circle of hell for people who betray themselves. This is the circle in which the father's comic character finds his daughter. He has to face himself, and pick the image of his true self in order to get her back.
…