A Long Winter by Colm Tóibín

A Long Winter by Colm TóibínPublished as a standalone novel for the first time, A Long Winter is a psychologically intricate and emotionally devastating story from the bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island. One snowy morning, after an argument with her husband, Miquel's mother departs from their village high up in the Pyrenees and disappears. With his younger brother stationed far away on military service and his father a social pariah detested by the locals, Miquel is

Published as a standalone novel for the first time, A Long Winter is a psychologically intricate and emotionally devastating story from the bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island. One snowy morning, after an argument with her husband, Miquel's mother departs from their village high up in the Pyrenees and disappears. With his younger brother stationed far away on military service and his father a social pariah detested by the locals, Miquel is caught between, on one hand, the slow disintegration of his family, and on the other, a bitter feud which prevents the townspeople from showing him any more than the slightest acts of kindness. With Miquel's mother still unaccounted for, the two men are forced to fend for themselves throughout a harsh winter, made harsher still by the emergence of family secrets that have festered in the long silence between father and son. A Long Winter is 'a superbly powerful tale of betrayal and desertion' (Spectator), but also a delicate tale of our search for love and companionship.