First published 2024
Dr. Eric Parry carries secrets as he makes his rounds through a West Country village in December 1962. His pregnant wife rests at home while across the field, Rita Simmons sleeps fitfully, dreaming of a past her husband wants forgotten. Rita's husband tends their struggling dairy farm before dawn, hoping this place will transform him into someone new. The plan isn't working. Both marriages contain affection, though love feels uncertain. Then England's harshest winter in memory arrives. Violent blizzards trap the two couples in their homes as their lives begin falling apart. Eric's secrets press harder. Rita's memories surface more vividly. The farmers watch their dreams freeze. When you cannot leave home, hiding becomes impossible. In a world locked in ice, running away offers no escape. Miller examines how ordinary people crack under pressure, showing how cold weather and close quarters expose the fault lines in human relationships.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, hidden-secrets, ordinary-people
Setting: England, West Country
Period: 1962, World War II
384 pages · Hardcover · Sceptre