First published 2002
Cathy and her brother Rob live surrounded by silence and secrets at the turn of the century. Their parents have vanished from their daily lives, leaving the siblings to create their own world against loneliness and fear. They build an intense bond that shields them from the cold truths of their family history. But their refuge grows complicated as their connection deepens beyond what siblings should share. Winter grips their lives like a curse, freezing them in patterns of secrecy and isolation. Cathy must break free from both her dark circumstances and the weight of her past. She fights to escape the emotional winter that has trapped her, seeking the possibility of renewal and second chances. This story explores how love can both protect and endanger, and how the strongest bonds sometimes become the hardest chains to break.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: emotional-winter, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England
Period: Turn of the Century
416 pages · Paperback · Chivers
Content warnings: incest