Such a Winter's Day

by Susan White

Six decades after leaving his hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick to follow his passion Hank Lowman now spends most days sitting on the same bench in Kings Square as winter approaches. At a quick glance one sees an old man down on his luck, possibly impacted by a global pandemic, an economic downturn and a severe housing crisis. But not everyone just passes by. Liam, a young man on his lunch breaks from the Imperial Theatre, Bruce, a city works employee, Gloria, a local artist and lonely, vulnerable Pearl are just a few who stop and sit awhile, take the time to listen, notice his piercing blue eyes and uncover so much more.


Such a Winter’s Day discovers the complicated and beautiful veneer of one person’s life while at the same time celebrating the meaningful arc of social change and evolving gay rights. This is a story of challenge, ambition, love and heartbreak and a story of acceptance, forgiveness, friendship, and hope.

268 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Colleen Maclennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A local writer is the author. My first time reading one of her books. The setting is the Saint John area and I could picture most of the places she wrote about which was neat.She certainly has an accurate portrayal of Saint John and the surrounding area. The book deals with homelessness, being gay in the early sixties , drug and alcohol abuse and family dynamics.

[Ariela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book put me in the craziest reading slump. Strap in, there’s a lot that I want to say about Susan White’s Such a Winter’s Day. Lets start with the good parts. It’s a well written book, it utilizes multiple povs and has all of the storylines connect when it’s appropriate. The characters feel very real, they feel very grounded, they all live normal and very believable lives. I liked the insight that this book gives, and it’s really a book that made me think about a lot of things. There’s a lot of commentary about homeless people and how our attitudes towards them can change. I would say that’s my main takeaway from this book, just treating others with kindness and compassion. Not everyone makes all of the right choices in life, and the least that we can do is help people. Help people to heal, to learn, to grow, and to get their lives back on track. All of the characters take this theme and express it in their different ways, and I think that’s a very good strength for this book. A lot of people have that outlook on homeless people, like Miriam and Ted in this book, that they’re all alcoholics, that they’re all bad news. But then, some, like Gloria and Liam actually take the time to value them as a person. So that’s what I liked most about this book, and what I was most interested in reading about.

Now, some of the downsides for me, and also what made it hard to read was actually the multiple povs. There are a lot of time skips, we see Hank’s life since the late 1950-2000s and all of this is done by flashbacks. Getting into the actual story was really had for me, I’m not too used to this nonlinear storytelling, with all of the time skips and pov changes. It was quite jarring, but I really just had to stay focused and commit. This put me into my reading slump. It wasn’t good. There are also a lot of characters, I feel like sometimes the story couldn’t properly keep up with them. It’s funny because a lot of the characters were well done, but then some that got their own povs just felt like names being thrown around. Characters just pop in whenever the story needs them to, rather than them being actual solid characters that properly have a hand in the main storyline. When I started reading this, I feared that there were too many characters and not enough time or story to properly develop each. And I was right.

Another thing, I don’t feel like I’m the target audience for this specific book. With Digitally Lit books I feel that I’m either reading adult books that are too high for my age level, or children’s books that are too low. This one is the former. This is very much an adult’s book. Plus, I don’t think this book is really intended for casual fun summer reading. Its a little story that’s meant to break you into pieces, to give some social commentary on the world, and break you into little pieces. I actually expected this book to be sadder. But it wasn’t. Instead of being an ultra sad story it’s credited as being “a moving exploration of human rights and justice, and the lasting power of friendship” on the back of the book.

This book also touches on a lot of nostalgia from the sixties and onward? It’s a bit hard for a 17yr old girl like me to get through, the only thing that really helps me is that I live in Saint John. I’m familiar with the streets and the store names that are mentioned so heavily in this book. Location stuff that still exists today, and that I live within still holds up well for me, but I can see how someone who’s not familiar with the geography of Saint John would be a little lost. I find myself more lost in the nostalgia that’s heavily mentioned in the flashbacks.

I guess the question is… is it worth it? I think yeah, Such a Winter’s Day is a good book if you know what you’re in for. I hope my review can offer some insight into what kind of book it is, it might not have really been the book for me, but you know… others would enjoy it more than I did.

[Kelly Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bestselling author Kristin Hannah in her latest book wrote that she wanted to write about Vietnam back in 1997 but realized that she was not mature enough as a writer at that time. I found this self awareness to be profoundly enlightening. I have read several of her early novels as well as her latest and it hard to recognize them as a product of the same author as her books now have a depth to them that did not exist 20 years ago.
The same can be said for Susan White's latest book. 15 years and as many books since her cathartic debut novel and this is as real as her writing has ever been. Her books have all been entertaining, enjoyable reads, especially for those readers who are able to recognize the people and the places in each one but with the exception of that first book this is the first I have felt that she really put herself heart and soul into the story, even painting a slightly fictionalized version of herself into the narrative.
Hank Lowman is a gay man with 20 years of sobriety behind him and a lifetime of heartache and regrets. At the age of 81 he finds himself living rough in his hometown of Saint John after being evicted from his boarding house. This current storyline takes place in the month of December 2021 in the midst of the COVID pandemic. In addition to Hank there are several characters whose lives intersect with his in mostly positive ways. These chapters alternate in rapid succession beginning in 1958 and following Hank's life journey as he flees a sham marriage leaving behind a 2 year old daughter. The chapters of his life take us across the US to San Francisco and The Castro during the turbulence of the 1970s that saw the jubilation in the gay community with the election of Harvey Milk and then the fear, violence, and devastation that followed his tragic assassination a year later in both the community and within Hank's own life. Returning to New Brunswick Hank leaves behind a successful career in sound engineering that saw him working with such folk rock legends as Bob Dylan and The Mamas and the Papas. It is the lyrics of the latter's melancholy hit that threads themselves so beautifully throughout the book, including the title – "California dreamin' on such a winter's day".
As mentioned, the very short chapters alternate in rapid succession giving the feeling of snapshots of the characters lives, or more accurately like an old fashioned slide show. *click* Hank as a young high school student *click* Hank on a park bench in Kings Square on a cold winter day *click* Pearl, who has much in common with Hank but with a roof over her head *click* Hank working his way across the US *click* Bruce, a music loving Saint John city worker facing forced retirement *click* Hank and Marvin *click* Gloria, an artist who takes an interest in Hank and his plight *click* the family left behind *click* *click* *click*... but it all works to take the reader on a journey of one man's life; his joys and his sorrows, his dreams and his regrets while weaving together the lives of those characters whose intersect with him.
The subject matter in the book is relevant and contemporary with homelessness being at a crisis level across Canada including in Saint John. Violence against the gay community and within the home are a recurring themes that often play out generation to generation along with such serious topics as suicide, alcoholism, and the isolation of the pandemic years. This is not "Mrs White's" early middle school fare but a gritty adult themed book that in my opinion is easily her best publication to date. All wrapped up in a perfectly beautiful cover.

[Hope Dalvay]

Hank Lowman has perhaps reached the lowest point in his eighty-plus years on earth. He has been reno-victed from his rooming house in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2021. He is living rough on the streets of Saint John and has essentially become invisible to most people. Using a dual timeline of the present day and of glimpses into pivotal moments of the main character’s past, author Susan White has brilliantly captured who Hank is and the events that have shaped his life. And what a chaotic, rich life he has led! The choice of title—Such a Winter’s Day, inspired by the Mamas & the Papas’ song “California Dreamin’”—hints at Hank’s longing for love and acceptance and the regrets that are eating away at him. Although the elderly Hank has become invisible to most people, there are a few who see him, the real him, in his darkest days while living homeless. The question is, will he let them in, or will his pride and stubbornness get in the way? I love how Such a Winter’s Day highlights the importance of finding people who accept you for your true self. I also appreciate how it sheds a light on homelessness and what it says about our society. Such a Winter’s Day will stay with you long after reading.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. Lots of references to Saint John’s time line. If you need a little empathy in your perspective, read it. The author paints some rough and brash characters and then slowly peals back layers of their history to reveal their authentic selves.
Susan White pulls the backstory out of her characters and weaves that into their personalities. The variation of past and present keeps the mind attentive. Favourite charachter exposé was the realtor. And that surprised me.

[Megan O'Hara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
This is such a sweet story
Some full circle moments that I loved

It follows the life of Hank as a young man in SJ NB in the 50s. Forced to flee SJ for an opportunity to live authentically. The years that follow, especially upon his return to SJ are filled with love, friendship and heartbreak.

[Krista Kernighan Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, thought provoking, story.
A bit of a gap in the storyline with Pearl and Miriam.