First published 1991
Margaret comes back to the small fishing village where she grew up, carrying memories that feel both foreign and familiar. The salt air and rocky coastline haven't changed, but everything else has. Her childhood home sits empty. Old friends have married, moved away, or died. Her father's boat rots at the dock. Margaret walks the same paths she knew as a girl, but now she sees them through different eyes. The village that once felt like the entire world now seems impossibly small. She struggles between the pull of her past and the life she built elsewhere. The ocean that once promised adventure now whispers of isolation. As Margaret reconnects with the few people who remain, she must decide whether coming home means moving backward or finally moving forward. Winter captures the weight of memory and the complexity of belonging.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: Shore, Small Fishing Village
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
Paperback · Killick Press