Winter by Degrees

by John Smolens

"What holds our attention is the rich atmosphere, the chill desolation of a shore town in midwinter. John Smolens knows his territory, social as well as geographical and proves it in his first novel."--Boston Sunday GlobeIn historic Newburyport, Massachusetts, the swift tidal currents of the Merrimack River are as treacherous as they are beautiful. When an unidentified man drowns on a bleak winter’s day, the event inspires fear and anger—but it also unites Newburyporters, reminding them that living hard by the sea requires uncommon fortitude and endurance.When Iver Smyth, a man reputed for his drinking, gambling, and scandalous affairs, disappears, his eccentric family shows a curious disinterest as locals speculate that it is his body that has broken through the river ice and been swept out to sea. Yet others—wives, lovers, children, and a stranger who is intent on collecting overdue debts—are determined to find out whether Smyth is dead or alive, and whether this was an unfortunate accident, an artful deception, a suicide, or, perhaps, an act of cold-blooded vengeance.Nelson Rideout, who worked on a restoration site with Iver the day of his disappearance, has his own reasons for seeking the truth, particularly when he learns that his dissolute brother, affectionately known as Tuna, harbors troubling secrets regarding the missing man. To discover the tragic significance of this drowning, Nelson must confront long-held loyalties, his failed marriage and splintered family, and the realization that there is nothing more important—or dangerous—than a grown man trying to prove his own worth. “At the center of this taut novel is a young carpenter’s search for moral certainty, in matters of work and love and commitment, in modern America, where such quests are an ordeal. The story is suspenseful, exciting, tender, often humorous, and, above all, significant. John Smolens is a wise and seasoned voice.” —Andre Dubus“One of the fine characteristic of this novel is its poignant evocation of place. John Smolens has given us the urban life with its clannish family associations, neighborhood and class loyalties so faithfully and fiercely rendered, we can no longer believe these dynamics only operate in rural backwaters. And Nelson, was a vulnerable and human Virgil he is.” —John Yount"Delivers gritty dialogue and earthy atmosphere."--Kirkus

Genres: Mystery

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 1989

About the author

According to Northern Michigan University's website, John Smolens "...has published five novels Cold, The Invisible World, Fire Point, Angel’s Head, and Winter by Degrees, and one collection of short stories (My One and Only Bomb Shelter.) Cold was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and the Detroit Free Press selected Fire Point as the best book by a Michigan author in 2004... His short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including: the Virginia Quarterly, the William and Mary Review, the Massachusetts Review, Yankee, Redbook, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. His work has been translated into Dutch, Greek, Italian, and Turkish, and has been published the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton, London."

His most recent publication is The Anarchist and has been well received.

Reviews

[Timothy Bazzett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy of WINTER BY DEGREES is a ratty, water-damaged mass market paperback I found. It's out of print, obviously, but it shouldn't be. This is the fifth John Smolens book I have read and I can't figure out why this guy isn't a nationally known and bestselling author. He is a master at creating a well-defined sense of place, whether it's in New England (where Smolens grew up) or northern Michigan (where he has lived for many years). His characters are equally well-written, people who seem so real you would almost swear you know them. Two families dominate the plot and action in WINTER BY DEGREES - the aristocratic 'old Yankee' family of the Smyths, whose class has become a bit frayed around the edges over the last several generations; and the Rideouts, more lately arrived Irish working class types. Nelson Rideout is the protagonist and his younger brother, Tuna, is a kind of lesser sidekick. Both have had little luck in making any success of their lives, failed at jobs, college education, marriage and relationships, etc. Forbes Smyth is the villain, and Pell is the hired gun, or enforcer, from "outside," come to collect bad debts left by another Smyth, who has died under mysterious circumstances. So yeah, there's a murder mystery here, but the characters are what make this novel so, so ... well, so GOOD. Smolens writes like a screenwriter. You can picture these guys, both the good ones and the bad ones. And you can imagine it all as a chilling suspense film, or perhaps as a TV miniseries. His dialogue is spot on and his people are all so just so REAL, so precisely realized. I have said this about Smolens' other books, but I'll say it again. I want more of these people. I want sequels. I want a whole SERIES of books about these people, and I mean this about the characters in not just THIS novel, but the ones from COLD, FIRE POINT, and THE INVISIBLE WORLD too. I'm rambling here, I know, so I'll wrap this up by simply saying that this is not just another mystery or suspense thriller (although they are that too); this is simply fiction writing of the highest caliber. Period.

[Matlene Kind · Rating 4 out of 5]

A person dies! By accident or there's a gritty plan? What's for sure is that two brothers will find out what really happened...and then what will happen to them....you will only know by reading this totally unpredictable story!!!!