Book Review - Winter People by Gráinne Murphy
‘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?’
Sis, Lydia, and Peter
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.
Atlantic Coast
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, Loneliness and Letting Go
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
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.
Summary
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.
272 pages
October 12, 2022 by Legend Press
If you liked this, you'd also like Donal Ryan and Claire Keegan