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Winter People
Sis Cotter has lived her whole life in a small house by her beloved beach. Here, she grew up, reared her family, and buried her husband. Now her children are far away and, in three days, her house will be taken from her.
Next door, Lydia has withdrawn from her husband, her friends, her life. She watches the sea as her own private penance for a wrong she can never put right.
Peter’s best friend is dying, and his long-time foster mother is slowly forgetting who he is. Adrift without his two anchors, and struggling with the ethics of displacing people for a living, he looks for something to remind him of who he is and who he wants to be.
Winter People is a story of forgiveness, resilience, and the power of the sea to unlock what we are most afraid to say.
Next door, Lydia has withdrawn from her husband, her friends, her life. She watches the sea as her own private penance for a wrong she can never put right.
Peter’s best friend is dying, and his long-time foster mother is slowly forgetting who he is. Adrift without his two anchors, and struggling with the ethics of displacing people for a living, he looks for something to remind him of who he is and who he wants to be.
Winter People is a story of forgiveness, resilience, and the power of the sea to unlock what we are most afraid to say.
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2022
132 people are currently reading
1300 people want to read
About the author
Gráinne Murphy
11 books45 followersGráinne grew up and currently resides in rural West Cork, working as a self-employed language editor specialising in human rights and environmental issues. Some of Gráinne’s earlier novels were shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award 2019, the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2019, the Luke Bitmead Bursary 2016 and the Virginia Prize for Fiction 2014. In short fiction, her story Further West placed third in the Zoetrope All-Story Contest 2018, and was long-listed for the Sunday Times Audible short story award in 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
September 27, 2022
4+ stars
This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one. I found the burdens that these characters carried difficult to read about at times . The aging Sis, whose character and story of the three told here was my favorite, and moved me the most. Sis lives by the beach in this small Irish town in the house she lived in with her husband and three children. Her husband has died and her children live away and are all but estranged from her. Sis finds herself alone at a time of need and I was heartbroken for her knowing what was in store for her in the coming days. Her neighbor Lydia, from an affluent family, lives as a recluse in the big blue house harboring her demons of the past that she can’t forgive herself for. Her loneliness is as palatable as is Sis’s and she eases her pain with pills and alcohol. Peter, the sheriff, is unable to deal with the impending loses he faces, and his back story itself has enough sadness so it is understandable why he chooses at first to keep away from the people he loves.
There is much reflection on the past for these three characters but I was anxious to know what would happen to them now and how their lives might touch. It’s a short book and to say more about would give the story away. It’s beautifully written and I felt I knew the characters, would have wanted to help them get through these hard times if I really did know them. I’ll just leave it with what I said at the beginning. This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one, but I’ll add that it’s my kind of story.
I received a copy of this book from Legend Press through NetGalley.
This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one. I found the burdens that these characters carried difficult to read about at times . The aging Sis, whose character and story of the three told here was my favorite, and moved me the most. Sis lives by the beach in this small Irish town in the house she lived in with her husband and three children. Her husband has died and her children live away and are all but estranged from her. Sis finds herself alone at a time of need and I was heartbroken for her knowing what was in store for her in the coming days. Her neighbor Lydia, from an affluent family, lives as a recluse in the big blue house harboring her demons of the past that she can’t forgive herself for. Her loneliness is as palatable as is Sis’s and she eases her pain with pills and alcohol. Peter, the sheriff, is unable to deal with the impending loses he faces, and his back story itself has enough sadness so it is understandable why he chooses at first to keep away from the people he loves.
There is much reflection on the past for these three characters but I was anxious to know what would happen to them now and how their lives might touch. It’s a short book and to say more about would give the story away. It’s beautifully written and I felt I knew the characters, would have wanted to help them get through these hard times if I really did know them. I’ll just leave it with what I said at the beginning. This is a quiet, introspective story, and it’s such an emotional one, but I’ll add that it’s my kind of story.
I received a copy of this book from Legend Press through NetGalley.
October 1, 2022
The Wild Atlantic Coast of Ireland
This is a quiet story, an emotional and introspective one… and I loved it, worried on it, mostly I worried about Sis, the aged lady, a widow, who is about to lose her home at the sea.
This is a home she grew up in herself and then married and raised her own three children there.
There are two other adult characters with painful scenarios and past..the writing is more sparse on their backgrounds but it is equally sad.
I absolutely loved the setting… I love the sea!
Very atmospheric and deeply moving!
Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC!
This is a quiet story, an emotional and introspective one… and I loved it, worried on it, mostly I worried about Sis, the aged lady, a widow, who is about to lose her home at the sea.
This is a home she grew up in herself and then married and raised her own three children there.
There are two other adult characters with painful scenarios and past..the writing is more sparse on their backgrounds but it is equally sad.
I absolutely loved the setting… I love the sea!
Very atmospheric and deeply moving!
Thank you to Netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC!
December 11, 2022
This was a beautifully written but very sad book, very much in the vein of Claire Fuller's Unsettled Ground (and coincidentally, Claire Fuller has written a beautiful endorsement for this novel on its cover).
Set on the wild Atlantic coastline in West Cork, Sis, Lydia and Peter are three unique and well-developed characters whose paths intertwine when tragedy strikes each of them in distinct ways.
The book opens with Sis, an older woman whose time in her home is coming to an end. Lydia lives alone in the house next door to Sis, an old house that has been renovated with spectacular views of the sea. Peter works in repossessions, and is coming to terms with his best friend's terminal diagnosis while reflecting on his own difficult upbringing.
The three characters have a deep loneliness in common, all desiring the company of others but simultaneously driving them away. There is a real sense of desolation evoked through the characters' stories and the location on the wild Atlantic coast. There are so many gorgeous observations that I highlighted while reading this quiet, contemplative book. If I had one criticism, it's that I felt the book petered out a little towards the end. There's a dramatic tension, particularly in Sis' story that went slack before a climax could be reached.
If quiet, human stories are your thing, I'd highly recommend this book. It's a winter read I'll be reflecting on for some time to come. 3.5-4/5
Set on the wild Atlantic coastline in West Cork, Sis, Lydia and Peter are three unique and well-developed characters whose paths intertwine when tragedy strikes each of them in distinct ways.
The book opens with Sis, an older woman whose time in her home is coming to an end. Lydia lives alone in the house next door to Sis, an old house that has been renovated with spectacular views of the sea. Peter works in repossessions, and is coming to terms with his best friend's terminal diagnosis while reflecting on his own difficult upbringing.
The three characters have a deep loneliness in common, all desiring the company of others but simultaneously driving them away. There is a real sense of desolation evoked through the characters' stories and the location on the wild Atlantic coast. There are so many gorgeous observations that I highlighted while reading this quiet, contemplative book. If I had one criticism, it's that I felt the book petered out a little towards the end. There's a dramatic tension, particularly in Sis' story that went slack before a climax could be reached.
If quiet, human stories are your thing, I'd highly recommend this book. It's a winter read I'll be reflecting on for some time to come. 3.5-4/5
October 12, 2022
DNF
Beautifully written and a very thought and emotion provoking piece but I felt as though I was falling asleep most of the time.
Beautifully written and a very thought and emotion provoking piece but I felt as though I was falling asleep most of the time.
August 6, 2024
A wonderful, quiet, unassuming novel about the lives and inner most thoughts of 3 people, all of whom are broken, damaged.
Each trying to carry on with their lives, each solitary and introspective.
Beautiful imagery, emotive without being excessively emotional.
4.5* rounded up to 5*
Each trying to carry on with their lives, each solitary and introspective.
Beautiful imagery, emotive without being excessively emotional.
4.5* rounded up to 5*
October 23, 2025
Noch so ein Buch, bei dem sich eine Bewertung völlig fehlplatziert anfühlt. „Winter People“ ist mehr ein Gefühl als eine Geschichte. Und es kommt Herzschmerz ein bisschen ZU nah. Nostalgie mischt sich mit Trauer, mischt sich mit Wut, mischt sich mit Sympathie, aber auch mit Antipathie. Ich hab ne Menge gefühlt und das Buch zieht jetzt nach. Schwere. Aber auch die Liebe zu Stille, zu Weite, zu Grau, zu Wild, zum Meer. Als Winter-Person hab ich es nachempfunden. Als Person mit Hang zur Melancholie war es mir ein bisschen sehr am Leben, wenn das Sinn ergibt? Schön, aber keine leichte Lektüre. Was für düstere Sturmabende mit Tee, aber nur, wenn man danach eine Sitcom einschaltet. 😆 So als Gegenpol. Weil das Leben zum Glück nicht immer nur dieses Ziehen bereithält.
February 8, 2024
Winter People; a book I’ve been meaning to read since I unseasonably bought it last Summer. I read it over the last week in a group of around 60 of us on here, and loved all the discussion it generated. I think it would work really well for a book club too.
Set on the Atlantic coast of Ireland we meet three people struggling with life.
Sis Cotter; a widow, with only her dog for company after her three grown children left home as soon as possible. She’s facing into eviction from her beloved house by the sea and so begins to get her things in order, as she reminisces on her life.
Next door to her is Lydia, who ran from her husband, and her life following a devastating accident she caused. This solitary existence by the sea is her own version of penance but even this begins to crumble around her as she refuses all help.
Lastly, Peter is in an unfulfilling job with no romantic prospects. The two people he has grown to rely on; his best friend, and his foster mother have been given awful health news. Peter finds himself afloat with no support system.
It’s only as we read on that we discover tangible connections between all three, but also the things that make us all human; loneliness, loss, love, hope, and resilience.
Many of us said we’d love to know more about the characters after the book finished (a sign of a great novel, as I always say) and in particular, the relationships between Sis and her estranged kids.
This element of the story, in conjunction with the other parenting examples in the book, challenges our perceptions of “good” parenting, family dynamics, and the mother/daughter relationship in particular.
While writing a letter to her daughter, Sis says “it might be modern to talk of the family you make, but spare a little space for the family that made you too. There’s love enough to go around if we can look beyond the wrongs of the past and know that we are loved. Whether first or last, we are loved”.
Beautiful. Highly recommend this gentle, thought-provoking book.
Set on the Atlantic coast of Ireland we meet three people struggling with life.
Sis Cotter; a widow, with only her dog for company after her three grown children left home as soon as possible. She’s facing into eviction from her beloved house by the sea and so begins to get her things in order, as she reminisces on her life.
Next door to her is Lydia, who ran from her husband, and her life following a devastating accident she caused. This solitary existence by the sea is her own version of penance but even this begins to crumble around her as she refuses all help.
Lastly, Peter is in an unfulfilling job with no romantic prospects. The two people he has grown to rely on; his best friend, and his foster mother have been given awful health news. Peter finds himself afloat with no support system.
It’s only as we read on that we discover tangible connections between all three, but also the things that make us all human; loneliness, loss, love, hope, and resilience.
Many of us said we’d love to know more about the characters after the book finished (a sign of a great novel, as I always say) and in particular, the relationships between Sis and her estranged kids.
This element of the story, in conjunction with the other parenting examples in the book, challenges our perceptions of “good” parenting, family dynamics, and the mother/daughter relationship in particular.
While writing a letter to her daughter, Sis says “it might be modern to talk of the family you make, but spare a little space for the family that made you too. There’s love enough to go around if we can look beyond the wrongs of the past and know that we are loved. Whether first or last, we are loved”.
Beautiful. Highly recommend this gentle, thought-provoking book.
November 26, 2023
Completely immersive, richly emotional, three lives at the point of change, moderated by the permanence of the sea. Wise, compassionate , highly recommended.
August 5, 2024
I just didn’t jam with this - sorry Iain and Paul
October 20, 2022
I read and reviewed Where The Edge Is by Gráinne Murphy (also published by Legend Press) a couple of years ago and loved it so very much. I was delighted to be offered a pre-publication of this, her latest novel by the publisher.
A short novel at around 260 pages, this is a story that tears at the heart. It is quite incredible how this author can create such beauty from such sadness and pain, yet she does, on every page. The words of lyrical and wonderfully woven, the characters are complex, sometimes flawed, often bitter and always a joy to discover, This really is some of the finest story telling that I've come across for years.
The three lead characters tell their own stories, we hear their voices, their innermost thoughts, their doubts and their regrets. Sis, Lydia and Peter do not have much to be joyful about, and whilst they are not really know to one another, their lives are linked by circumstance, and by the wonderfully described landscape of the are in which they live. I do have to mention the incredible portrayal of the wild Atlantic coastline of Ireland, for this adds so much to the story; the burden of the ever changing and uncontrollable weather adds to the personal struggles of each character and it is done with such style and ease.
Sis Cotter has lived in her cottage by the beach for many many years. Alone now, with just her dog for company, her children are scattered through the world, her husband is dead. Sis had a long marriage, but the legacy of her husband's behaviour means that her twilight years will not be as she had hoped. Her children are abrupt and appear uncaring, with her daughters holding grudges about their childhood and her son is such a disappointment.
Lydia is a young woman in the Blue House nearby to Sis. Lydia does not leave the house, her only contact with the outside world are regular, difficult phone calls with her mother, long and silent calls to her estranged husband and the deliveries of prescriptions and groceries from the nearby town. As Lydia's story progresses, the reader learns about her overwhelming feelings of guilt, and how she hates herself. We are witness to her thoughts and what she would like to say to Mary; a woman whose life Lydia has altered for ever.
Peter is possibly the quietest of the characters, yet the story of his background is so very powerful. As he goes to work each day, removing people from the homes that they've lost, he thinks about his own early years, and how he came to find a home. Peter's best friend is dying, yet he struggles to know how to deal with this, he cannot bring himself to phone, or to visit. Berating himself throughout the story, yet eventually doing what he knows is for the best.
Three wonderfully created characters with voices that are unique and realistic, in a setting that conjures up amazing imagery and adds such depth to the whole novel.
This is a stunning, tender and compassionate story that will stay with me for a long time.
A short novel at around 260 pages, this is a story that tears at the heart. It is quite incredible how this author can create such beauty from such sadness and pain, yet she does, on every page. The words of lyrical and wonderfully woven, the characters are complex, sometimes flawed, often bitter and always a joy to discover, This really is some of the finest story telling that I've come across for years.
The three lead characters tell their own stories, we hear their voices, their innermost thoughts, their doubts and their regrets. Sis, Lydia and Peter do not have much to be joyful about, and whilst they are not really know to one another, their lives are linked by circumstance, and by the wonderfully described landscape of the are in which they live. I do have to mention the incredible portrayal of the wild Atlantic coastline of Ireland, for this adds so much to the story; the burden of the ever changing and uncontrollable weather adds to the personal struggles of each character and it is done with such style and ease.
Sis Cotter has lived in her cottage by the beach for many many years. Alone now, with just her dog for company, her children are scattered through the world, her husband is dead. Sis had a long marriage, but the legacy of her husband's behaviour means that her twilight years will not be as she had hoped. Her children are abrupt and appear uncaring, with her daughters holding grudges about their childhood and her son is such a disappointment.
Lydia is a young woman in the Blue House nearby to Sis. Lydia does not leave the house, her only contact with the outside world are regular, difficult phone calls with her mother, long and silent calls to her estranged husband and the deliveries of prescriptions and groceries from the nearby town. As Lydia's story progresses, the reader learns about her overwhelming feelings of guilt, and how she hates herself. We are witness to her thoughts and what she would like to say to Mary; a woman whose life Lydia has altered for ever.
Peter is possibly the quietest of the characters, yet the story of his background is so very powerful. As he goes to work each day, removing people from the homes that they've lost, he thinks about his own early years, and how he came to find a home. Peter's best friend is dying, yet he struggles to know how to deal with this, he cannot bring himself to phone, or to visit. Berating himself throughout the story, yet eventually doing what he knows is for the best.
Three wonderfully created characters with voices that are unique and realistic, in a setting that conjures up amazing imagery and adds such depth to the whole novel.
This is a stunning, tender and compassionate story that will stay with me for a long time.
July 25, 2023
Beautiful evocative book. Highly recommend
October 29, 2022
This is such a beautiful read, and I had to read it slowly in case I missed any of the sentences, because many of them are striking and full of wisdom. I really enjoy novels that have me saying, 'You are SO right about that!' and 'Life is just like that! Yes!' I love the way the book is structured, the reader hearing from each of the three protagonists in turn, and gradually realising how they might be connected. The writer's descriptions of the sea are enchanting and the way she makes it an influential character in its own right is so clever. A powerful, affecting read, exploring grief and isolation but also the value of family, and Sis Cotter particularly is a character who will stay around with me for a while. Also, as someone who was fostered, I was so pleased to find a fostering storyline and such an affectionate, tender one at that.
March 25, 2023
Three personal stories, loosely connected by place: the winter people refers to those who remain on the west coast of Ireland when the summer people have gone. Gentle reflections on guilt, regret, loneliness, of being let down by people or by events, of loss. While Sis manages to communicate with her family through letters, Lydia writes and deletes, or phones and stays silent. Peter avoids his dying friend. There seemed to be a hierarchy in the stories - Sis first, most developed, then Lydia and then Peter who seemed a minor character at times, with a connection to the place that is not wholly convincing. I wondered if his story was a bit of an afterthought, there might have more of him. The book is reminiscent of Anne griffin’s brilliant “When all is said” but a little less coherent and complete.
January 5, 2025
This is one of the most deeply emotional books that I have read in a long time. Absolutely full of truths that strike right at the heart of human behaviour (and the reader….). In an environment where Irish authors are (fairly) lauded Murphy’s is not a name I have particularly come across but she is right up there in my opinion and I actually preferred this to books by some better known names. It’s very introspective and very quiet but heck it packs a real punch without (I think) succumbing to being overly sentimental.
March 29, 2023
One of the best books I’ve read so far, this year. It’s nostalgic, sad and that reflects on the typical weather throughout.
At the same time is heart warming, and I do find the connection with the sea personal and real. I related to that.
At the same time is heart warming, and I do find the connection with the sea personal and real. I related to that.
March 5, 2025
a beautifully written and deeply raw book that made me feel so much. i found pieces of myself in all three characters in different ways. if you're looking for an atmospheric and reflective read, this is it. Murphy has become a new favourite author for me, and I’ll definitely be checking out her other books!
"she was forever hiding in corners thumbing pages of a book, entirely oblivious to the world around her."
"she was forever hiding in corners thumbing pages of a book, entirely oblivious to the world around her."
May 23, 2024
‘Here is not there. Now is not then.’
A quiet, sad, introspective book with the sea running through it. So many beautiful sentences, always with the sound of the sea behind them, the taste of the salty water and wind whistling around you. A pebble to pick up, carry down the steps and along the beach, only to replace it when you reach the top again.
A quiet, sad, introspective book with the sea running through it. So many beautiful sentences, always with the sound of the sea behind them, the taste of the salty water and wind whistling around you. A pebble to pick up, carry down the steps and along the beach, only to replace it when you reach the top again.
June 1, 2024
A slow moving, reflective book exploring the stories of 3 people over 3 days.
The authors dedication at the start is one of the best I’ve read: “For mum & dad - for showing me that reading is the closest thing to magic and then letting me read all the books.”
The authors dedication at the start is one of the best I’ve read: “For mum & dad - for showing me that reading is the closest thing to magic and then letting me read all the books.”
October 16, 2025
Beautifully written book, 3 people stories can not be told better .
Heart aching and at the same time heart warming book.
Love the connection with the sea and stories 2 houses and hotel. People lived there.
Very pleasant read
Heart aching and at the same time heart warming book.
Love the connection with the sea and stories 2 houses and hotel. People lived there.
Very pleasant read
March 6, 2023
3.5 stars (full review to follow)
February 9, 2024
Best book of the year! Atmospheric, emotional and totally gripping.
December 19, 2025
Beautifully written but heartbreaking
May 19, 2023
oh my god i thought i would never finish this book, it was just so depressing for so long and it felt like they were all just whining for the entire book, maybe i read it wrong because everyone else rated it so high but 🫣
December 29, 2022
Gorgeous writing, loved this book… I found it sad but real.
August 25, 2022
Thank you for the advanced copy. I found this style of writing different than what I am used to but really got into it. Incredibly powerful and well written, develops very well and strong central characters.
October 9, 2022
This book is so sad, so uplifting, so beautifully written - I don’t know where to start.
The three characters are each dealing with a fundamental change in their lives, isolated in their feelings and nurtured by the sea. As in her previous two novels (which I also loved), Gráinne Murphy creates unusual sets of circumstances which are unique to her writing. She has you thinking about possibilities we may not have considered before. The thoughts of each character, each challenge they face, are thought-provoking to the point of being hard to think about. Yet her writing is so effortless, so poetic, you can’t wait to read on.
My favourite character of all is Sis - she is so very, very Irish. No stereotype here. If you’re from Ireland, or have lived there, you’ll recognise her immediately. So when the voice changed, and it was Lydia’s story, I was reluctant to move on. But then Lydia is utterly believable and the difficulties she is dealing with are slow to be revealed, but gripping nonetheless. And when I came to Peter, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find a new character with very different thoughts. It’s like reading three superb novellas, but each is entrancingly intertwined.
Parts of this novel had me in tears, parts left me incredibly sad. But somehow I came away uplifted, not depressed. The language is beautiful, yet easy to read. I loved her first two novels, but this one is my favourite by far - the best book I’ve read in ages. Thanks Gráinne Murphy - and thanks to Legend Press for the advance copy.
The three characters are each dealing with a fundamental change in their lives, isolated in their feelings and nurtured by the sea. As in her previous two novels (which I also loved), Gráinne Murphy creates unusual sets of circumstances which are unique to her writing. She has you thinking about possibilities we may not have considered before. The thoughts of each character, each challenge they face, are thought-provoking to the point of being hard to think about. Yet her writing is so effortless, so poetic, you can’t wait to read on.
My favourite character of all is Sis - she is so very, very Irish. No stereotype here. If you’re from Ireland, or have lived there, you’ll recognise her immediately. So when the voice changed, and it was Lydia’s story, I was reluctant to move on. But then Lydia is utterly believable and the difficulties she is dealing with are slow to be revealed, but gripping nonetheless. And when I came to Peter, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find a new character with very different thoughts. It’s like reading three superb novellas, but each is entrancingly intertwined.
Parts of this novel had me in tears, parts left me incredibly sad. But somehow I came away uplifted, not depressed. The language is beautiful, yet easy to read. I loved her first two novels, but this one is my favourite by far - the best book I’ve read in ages. Thanks Gráinne Murphy - and thanks to Legend Press for the advance copy.
December 28, 2023
A story of three individuals, the seemingly insurmountable problems they each face and their journey towards closure and renewal. The stories run individually for the most part, with hints of connection which doesn't occur really until quite close to the conclusion of the book. This is NOT a spoiler. I have rarely read such well drawn characters. Their individual plights touched me deeply and made me quite sad, particularly the predicament that Sis finds herself in. Just like Peter I was angry that a very old woman could possibly be treated so badly. The writing style is very beautiful and flows very easily. I loved this book.
November 3, 2022
I really loved the style of writing. A slow moving story over three days of three likeable characters with troubled lives. A gentle read.
August 10, 2023
‘Winter people’ by Gráinne Murphy is about three strangers living on the Atlantic Coast of Ireland, set over three days. And the one question is: ‘Who are we without the people who love us?’
There are three sections in the book called 'Storm' 'Sea' and 'Sky' with three chapters in each, told via three protagonists - Sis, Lydia, and Peter.
Sis finds herself dealing with the reappearance of an event that has scared the Irish Psyche - the repossession of her home. Her only companion is a dog called Laddy, but she is sustained by her daily walks along the seashore, which faces her home. She has three children, long gone, and her thoughts continually return to ghosts from the past - her sister Bunty and her husband Frank.
Lydia lives beside Sis in 'the blue house', a modern holiday home complete with a 'Belfast sink and a claw foot bath'. Lydia peers at the sea through her window, hiding from the world, and her only visitor is the cleaner, Sofia, and the occasional interaction with the postman. She nulls her senses with pills and drink to help her cope with an incident she was involved in, and even her husband Andrew has difficulty reaching her.
Peter is preoccupied with thoughts of his closest friend Fintan, receiving palliative care. As well as this, his foster mother has difficulties remembering who he is and he struggles with his job as a sheriff.
One of the first authors that came to mind as I was reading this was Donal Ryan. That's not just a lazy comparison, but rather Gráinne Murphy also captures the quiet lives and isolation of people living in rural Ireland, this time on the Atlantic coast. (I think West Cork, though place names aren’t mentioned. I noticed a few yerra's in it, hence West Cork/Kerry).
Winter people are those who remain when the summer people have gone. Lydia wonders at one stage whether the locals viewed summer people with disdain and whether she was now a winter person.
This nebulous sense of self is something that occurs to all the characters at different stages. At one point, Lydia's mother says,
'We are always ourselves. We just have to find ways to make it bearable.'
How fixed is our sense of self? The wise Fintan says at one stage says that social survival depends more on adaptability rather than being fixed in nature - 'though fixed doesn't mean stubborn, adaptable doesn't mean fickle.'
Loss is also something that unites the characters, especially Peter, who struggles to deal with the thought of losing his friend Fintan, as well as his foster mother Sheila to dementia. Sis thinks of her husband and sister, whilst her three grown-up children barely darken her door. Lydia thinks of her old life and the impact her actions have had on the life of another family.
With loss comes letting go - of family, homes and lives, friends and old loves. Older characters like Lydia have had plenty of practice, who muses at one point,
'Imagine how lonely she would be now had she not had a lifetime of learning to let go.'
Because loneliness plays a huge part in their lives, their protective shells force people away, unable to leave the hurt of the past behind.
Peter had a troubled upbringing and finds it hard to let go of some memories. His refrain is a phrase someone a social worker once said to him;
'Here is not there, Peter. Now is not then.'
as well as the importance of not standing still,
'Humans and sharks; keep moving or die.'
The sea is an important element for the characters. Lydia fears its advancement, worrying if it will encroach as it rises. She spends a large part of her day staring at it, ‘the sea securely contained within the aluminium frame’. Fintan notices it's relentlessness. Sis needs the sea, 'they would never be strangers, she and the sea.' No matter what, she had ‘the sea to believe in, the sea in all its grandeur, its glory and gladness.’
Back to the question. Who are we without the people who love us? The three characters were isolated and lonely, and needed others to find their way back. I read somewhere recently that depression is a form of grief for the connections we have lost, yet still need.
I enjoyed 'Winter People' and the quiet emotional resilience of the characters rang true. It's beautifully written as well, the Atlantic coast providing a strong sense of place, and the descriptions, the sea especially, are both sparse and atmospheric. There's a vein of sadness running through it, and to say too much would give away something of the slight plot, but I enjoyed spending time with these reflective characters. A tender and compassionate read.
Review from bookshelfdiscovery
There are three sections in the book called 'Storm' 'Sea' and 'Sky' with three chapters in each, told via three protagonists - Sis, Lydia, and Peter.
Sis finds herself dealing with the reappearance of an event that has scared the Irish Psyche - the repossession of her home. Her only companion is a dog called Laddy, but she is sustained by her daily walks along the seashore, which faces her home. She has three children, long gone, and her thoughts continually return to ghosts from the past - her sister Bunty and her husband Frank.
Lydia lives beside Sis in 'the blue house', a modern holiday home complete with a 'Belfast sink and a claw foot bath'. Lydia peers at the sea through her window, hiding from the world, and her only visitor is the cleaner, Sofia, and the occasional interaction with the postman. She nulls her senses with pills and drink to help her cope with an incident she was involved in, and even her husband Andrew has difficulty reaching her.
Peter is preoccupied with thoughts of his closest friend Fintan, receiving palliative care. As well as this, his foster mother has difficulties remembering who he is and he struggles with his job as a sheriff.
One of the first authors that came to mind as I was reading this was Donal Ryan. That's not just a lazy comparison, but rather Gráinne Murphy also captures the quiet lives and isolation of people living in rural Ireland, this time on the Atlantic coast. (I think West Cork, though place names aren’t mentioned. I noticed a few yerra's in it, hence West Cork/Kerry).
Winter people are those who remain when the summer people have gone. Lydia wonders at one stage whether the locals viewed summer people with disdain and whether she was now a winter person.
This nebulous sense of self is something that occurs to all the characters at different stages. At one point, Lydia's mother says,
'We are always ourselves. We just have to find ways to make it bearable.'
How fixed is our sense of self? The wise Fintan says at one stage says that social survival depends more on adaptability rather than being fixed in nature - 'though fixed doesn't mean stubborn, adaptable doesn't mean fickle.'
Loss is also something that unites the characters, especially Peter, who struggles to deal with the thought of losing his friend Fintan, as well as his foster mother Sheila to dementia. Sis thinks of her husband and sister, whilst her three grown-up children barely darken her door. Lydia thinks of her old life and the impact her actions have had on the life of another family.
With loss comes letting go - of family, homes and lives, friends and old loves. Older characters like Lydia have had plenty of practice, who muses at one point,
'Imagine how lonely she would be now had she not had a lifetime of learning to let go.'
Because loneliness plays a huge part in their lives, their protective shells force people away, unable to leave the hurt of the past behind.
Peter had a troubled upbringing and finds it hard to let go of some memories. His refrain is a phrase someone a social worker once said to him;
'Here is not there, Peter. Now is not then.'
as well as the importance of not standing still,
'Humans and sharks; keep moving or die.'
The sea is an important element for the characters. Lydia fears its advancement, worrying if it will encroach as it rises. She spends a large part of her day staring at it, ‘the sea securely contained within the aluminium frame’. Fintan notices it's relentlessness. Sis needs the sea, 'they would never be strangers, she and the sea.' No matter what, she had ‘the sea to believe in, the sea in all its grandeur, its glory and gladness.’
Back to the question. Who are we without the people who love us? The three characters were isolated and lonely, and needed others to find their way back. I read somewhere recently that depression is a form of grief for the connections we have lost, yet still need.
I enjoyed 'Winter People' and the quiet emotional resilience of the characters rang true. It's beautifully written as well, the Atlantic coast providing a strong sense of place, and the descriptions, the sea especially, are both sparse and atmospheric. There's a vein of sadness running through it, and to say too much would give away something of the slight plot, but I enjoyed spending time with these reflective characters. A tender and compassionate read.
Review from bookshelfdiscovery
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