Winter People, Gráinne Murphy

The wild and beautiful Atlantic coast of island has been home to Sis all her life. Now, with her children far away, she lives alone and is about to lose her home. Next door is the place in which Lydia has chosen to withdraw from the world as her own private punishment for an event she can never forgive herself for. Meanwhile Peter is ill-equipped to know how to cope with his best friend’s terminal illness and the fact that his long-term foster mother is starting to forget who he is. A slow, meditative and rather melancholy novel, better read in large sections than in short bursts. Beautiful, lyrical descriptions of the characters, the landscape and the weather. A story of three parallel lives which have touch points but don’t become unrealistically intertwined – reflective of our modern lives, the assumptions we make about others and how much people keep themselves to themselves. All three characters are lonely and suffering in their own way, their stories providing interesting perspectives from the norm. There are no Hollywood happy resolutions rather there are more realistic glimmers of hope for the future. No fast-paced twisty plotting but it is a deeper, reflective, well-written novel that we were pleased to have read.

Overall score: 6.1

Range: 5 – 7