A Long Winter

Charlotte says about The Long Winter:
This was my first dip into Toibin’s writing, and every bit of it was beautiful. This may be a short novel, but Toibin’s proficiency as an author is on full showcase here; in just a few pages he captures the delicate weaving of a rural family and the fleeting warmth within their dynamic, set against the background of a turbulent and unforgiving Pyrenees winter. Masterfully told through the perspective of a young son whose naivety stops him from fully reckoning the situation he’s in, Toibin’s captured a moment in time that will forever change this family, as well as us as a viewer. Perfect for fans of Claire Keegan and for those who love a short and powerful story.

One snowy morning, after arguing with her husband, Miquel’s mother walks out from their home high up in the Pyrenees and does not return. With his younger brother stationed far away on military service and his father cast out by the people of the town, Miquel and his father are left to fend for themselves. Together they will be forced to battle the elements, and their resentment of each other, through the long winter.

Miquel’s desperate searching for his mother is only interrupted when Manolo, an orphaned servant boy from the next village, arrives to help out in the house. As Miquel is forced to confront the reality of his mother's absence, Manolo, with his silences and longing gaze, offers the promise of new love, and another kind of life.