The Land in Winter – Andrew Miller (narrated by author)

The Land in Winter wasn’t what I expected…. it was way better than what I expected. Some would call it a domestic drama, which I would have run from and then I would have missed this beautifully written story. It is 1962. The setting is rural Great Britain and the players are ut two couples/four people who are neighbors. Eric Parry is a local doctor, so he is well known to the small town and surrounding area. He was from at best a middle class background while his wife Irene, who he met at a tennis party, was raised very upper crust. Next door, Bill Simmons has bought some acreage and is trying his hand at farming, with a small herd of cattle and chickens. He comes from a wealthy background but only because his father, a man of uncertain Eastern European origin, is a very successful business man in a business many would find, undesirable. It’s not necessarily illegal but it would be fair to call Bill’s pretentious father a scumbag. (Mr. Scumbag to you, though). Bill’s wife Rita is a local woman with a father in a psychiatric institution and a less than stellar local reputation. Her education is wanting but she is no dummy. She has some sort of psychiatric condition that is generally under control but it adds to questions about her wellbeing.

Both women are pregnant, each expecting her first child and the couples’ relationships seem fine, but there are cracks of discontent. Rita never intended to be a farm wife. Irene is alone a lot. Soon, Rita brings eggs to her new neighbor and Irene and Rita begin a friendship. As winter comes, the area experiences intense storms that leave them without power and make doctoring and farming more challenging. Each of the players has held back about the things in their lives as part of a couple and individually that are not okay. The demands of the winter change this. What makes this an amazing book is that it is pretty much always about the way each individual goes about each days. We follow them individually and when together and share their inner thoughts. This could be stultifying and instead, it always remaining entertaining. This can only be due to the author’s insights in to humanity and the extraordinary aspects of very ordinary lives. The supporting characters are also well wrought and satisfying bit players. I I was never, ever bored. I will definitely look for more Andrew Miller works and, by the way, he narrated this himself and did a wonderful job!